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The Children of Lir

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The Children of Lir

By: Benedict Flynn
Narrated by: Marcella Riordan
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About this listen

This is a story from the Tales of Irish Myths collection.

Three key stories from the mists of Irish legends retold by Benedict Flynn. It is a mysterious world that this selection of stories from the treasure house of Irish myths describes. Here, the line between the fantastical and the real is blurred: mortals and immortals lead entwined lives.

Public Domain (P)2000 Naxos Audiobooks Children's Audiobooks

Editorial reviews

The sea god Lir is angered when his rival Bodb Dearg is made king, and in order to keep him happy, he sends his daughter Aoibh to marry Lir and bear him four children. Following Aoibh's death, Bodb sends him another daughter, who is consumed by jealousy over the children's strong familial bonds. After failing to kill them, she instead enacts a curse that turns them into swans. Marcella Riordan gives a beautiful performance of Benedict Flynn's adaptation of this classic Irish myth, imbuing the legend with a respectful grace that honors its tradition within Irish literature.

Critic Reviews

"Brave heroes, powerful gods, and cunning women match brains and brawn in this collection of three classic Celtic myths retold here, much as they may have been around Irish peat fires of years ago. Listeners will become entranced by 'The Tale of Cu Chulainn,' 'The Children of Lir,' and 'The Tale of Finn Mac Cool.' With excellent narration by Dermot Kerrigan and Marcella Riordan, these tales still have the power to entice the imagination and stir the soul more than 1000 years after they were first told. Both narrators do a fine job of using just the right amount of brogue when pronouncing the multitude of Irish names that would tongue-tie many others. Although part of the Junior Classics Series, there is nothing in the telling that denotes these tales as being intended only for children since the Irish terminology is neither watered down nor explained, leaving listeners to infer the meanings of some words through the content of the story. Orchestral music is the only sound effect used, or needed, to accentuate particularly significant points in the stories. A brief history of Irish storytelling and of these three tales, in particular, is included." ( School Library Journal)

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.