Though the Emerald Isle is no stranger to tales of the fantastic (everything from the Hound Cuchlain to Darby O'Gill and his leprachaun friends), most of the fantasy works dealing with Ireland have limited themselves to either ancient history/Celtic legends and lore, sentimental tales of wee folk, or ghostly tales of hauntings in old deserted castles. Needless to say, there is more to the history and culture of Ireland than the sort of entertainment fare popularized each year around March 17th.Fantastic Irish Tales will present the entire cavalcade of Eire from its earliest beginnings right up to the current climate that has begotten such popular phenomenons as the rock band U2 and the novels of Roddy Doyle as the backdrop for a collection of all new stories of the fantastic.Given the huge success of such books as How the Irish Saved Civilization, and Irish themed novels by such authors as Leon Uris, Roddy Doyle, and Thomas Flanagan, there is no doubt to the widespread appeal of this book.Ideal to any fan of Irish books and perfectly timed for the Saint Patrick's Day season, Fantastic Irish Tales will be a collection to be treasured and enjoyed.