It was interesting to hear about versions of these supernaturals that were specific to the Celtic culture.
Rating: 3.75/5
When Irish eyes are dying
Breath chills till time is over,
Death pulls slowly graveward
To rest ’neath sod and clover…
Ireland… Sweet Erin…The Emerald Isle. In the bright and bonnie light of day, it is a place of beauty, history, and good humor. Of rolling green hills and stone walls at every step of a mile. A kind blessing for health and happiness, and a pint in your hand at the village pub… as well as the sound of fife and fiddle, the lilting tune of laughter, and the cheerful dance of a jig.
But, as the sun takes leave and dusk descends, deep shadows and the dank of an evening mist claim the Land of Saints. Within the cloak of night, boogies and beasties roam the moors, keen for the echo of lonesome footsteps and the alluring scent of fear and dread. Banshee, selkie, leprechaun, and fairy alike. The restless spirit of the Sluagh and the bestial form of the werewolf, hungry and on the prowl.
In Irish Gothic: Tales of Celtic Horror, Ronald Kelly returns to the land of his ancestry and explores the dark superstition and frightful folklore of Ol’ Éire. Seven stories of Celtic gothic terror… tales to quicken the beat of the heart and chill one’s bones to the very marrow.
I received a free copy of Irish Gothic from the author, Ronald Kelly himself in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much! This was a really fun read!
When I started this short story collection, I wasn’t really certain what to expect. From the cover, I was getting eerie vibes. In fact, I was captivated by its cover the moment I saw it. I love this cover. I thought maybe because of this eerie cover that the stories would entail a bit of horror aesthetic. And maybe to some that would be the case. However, I found these to be more along the lines of paranormal than horror.
I was captivated by its cover the moment I saw it.
Irish Gothic is a collection of seven short stories around Irish and Celtic mythology. We get to see stories around the myths of banshees and werewolves and vampires. I found these all to be entertaining reads. It was interesting to hear about versions of these supernaturals that were specific to the Celtic culture. I especially appreciated being able to see the information that Kelly included at the end of his book to give some more details and depth of the myths he included for his stories. This was particular helpful for the myths I wasn’t familiar with.
I found these all to be entertaining reads. It was interesting to hear about versions of these supernaturals that were specific to the Celtic culture.
These stories flow well for being short stories. They kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading. While I didn’t love all seven stories, I did enjoy them all to an extent. I won’t go through each of them otherwise I’ll spoil all the fun. These are all fairly short for short stories as this whole collection is roughly 130 pages. My favorite I think would have to be about the story around the myth of the banshee! That was a very unexpected read for me!
As usual, rating short story collections are hard because some of these I gave only 3 stars, where others I gave 4 stars. I even had a 5 star read among these seven! So I went with the average rating again of the individual stories giving this a rating of 3.75/5.
If you’re a fan of the supernatural and love Celtic mythology, then I highly recommend checking this one out! This was a really fun and quick read!