Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada Agus Ghráinne: The Pursuit of Diarmaid And Gráinne

Cur síos

Nessa Ní Shéaghdha (foilsithe den chéad uair / first published 1967)

xxxii + 148 pp. ISBN 1 870 16648 5

The Tóruigheacht, which involves the tragedy of a young girl betrothed to an old man, is one of the best known and best loved tales of the Fionn cycle, which in turn was the most popular of Irish storytelling cycles. One measure of the tale’s popularity is the number of ‘Beds of Diarmuid and Gráinne’ dotted around the Irish countryside. Another is the number of manuscripts of the Tóruigheacht, at least forty-one, ranging in date from 1718 to 1850. The excellent introduction to this volume by its editor Nessa Ní Shéaghdha discusses, among other aspects of the tale, its survival in many folk versions.