In Irish Folk and Fairy Tales William Butler Yeats delivers a vast collection of stories, songs, and poetry of his home country and beloved Ireland’s historical and legendary past. These writings helped secure for Yeats’ recognition as a leading proponent of Irish nationalism and Irish cultural independence, and to also help Yeats spearhead the Irish Literary Revival. Originally published in two separate books near the end of the nineteenth century, these tales preserve a rich and charming heritage in a superbly authentic Irish voice.In this volume, extraordinary Irish characters are brought to life through the incandescent poetic voice of W.B. Yeats, who as the first Irish writer to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1923. Born and educated in Dublin, from an early age Yeats was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult, which are brilliantly visited in Irish Folk and Fairy Tales.These legendary stories include Trooping Fairies, a Banshee, Kings and Queens, G