Introduction

Strange tales have been reported from one of the ancient Celtic Isles lately. This reporter has traveled to the green fields and rocky coastline of Ireland in an attempt to get to the truth behind the rumors.

Stories of mayhem, mischief, and general thievery have been heard, as well as whisperings of dealings with the Little People. It has even been claimed that men have been found alive and well whose necks were seen to be snapped by a hangman's noose within the very same day.

Are the Celitic Isles enchanted? I've come to see for myself - and take you with me every step of the journey.

Clues to unraveling this mystery may lie in the ancient history of this part of the world. The Celtic Isles, in a broader sense, include the islands of Britain, Scotland, and Ireland, but originally the Celts stretched through Western Europe, through Northern Italy, and even into Anatolia (known as Turkey to more modern readers). This broad swath of humanity was classified as Celtic because it was filled with people who shared similar lifestyles and common languages.

The Romans conquered the Celtic lands and brought with them a new idea of government - and eventually a new Christian religion. Feudal systems replaced small clans or tribes, and ancient Celtic pantheons were replaced by Christian saints.

The Ireland I've stepped into as a reporter is filled with hardworking people with a knack for getting along during difficult times. Though they've adopted Christianity, old traditions and superstitions still carry power in these emerald hills and valleys, and the people still regale one another with tales of ghosts and fairies and little people.

There are kings and lords, rich and poor, but it seems the poor outnumber the rich a good deal.
They are mainly farmers and ranchers who live on the proceeds of their labors. These stories concern the high and the low in society, from a king to a widow's son.

The first stop I'll make in my investigations will be Leinster, where a king's storyteller seems to have become part of a fantastic story himself. It's been whispered that the Tuatha De Dannan, the oldest of the Irish pantheon, may still wander in Leinster, so there may be more to the storyteller's tale than a mysterious old man.

At any rate, the old man's skill at gambling is enough to catch the attention of this reporter.

My second visit will be to the holdings of the Lord of Dunlavin. A group of rough men - some accuse them of being robbers - have spread a story that their cabin was haunted by strange creatures in the middle of the night. The men were so frightened that they left behind all of their worldly belongings and fled into the woods on foot. There must be more to this situation than is currently known. We shall see.

Once the mystery of Dunlavin is comfortably handled, I'll go to the Field of Boliauns. A young man from that area insists that he held long discourse with a Leprechaun. Tom Fitzpatrick is said to have even had the Leprechaun in his service for some time during a recent evening. Yet the Leprechaun's gold is still unaccounted for. This is definitely a story I need to hear first-hand.

My final stop will be a visit to the farms of Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary. I've heard odd stories of men being thrown from cliffs, hides of cows that produce gold coins, and an unexpected reversal of fortunes for all three men involved. I've saved this stop for my last because the pub of this town has quite a reputation for keeping its customers so happy that they forget themselves for long stretches of time - and a good reporter must always investigate when a pub is given such a reputation. It's all about the discovery and dissemination of the truth!

Image: Irish Countryside
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