Cornish Folk Tales by Mike O'Connor

Our Cornish drolls are dead, each one;

The fairies from their haunts have gone;

There's scarce a witch in all the land,

The world has grown so learn'd and grand.

Poem by Henry Quick

You might think that it's just the Irish who have a rich history of spinning tales around the fire, but the Cornish  too have their own wealth of celtic tales that have been passed down through the centuries.

By reading Cornish Folk Tales by Mike O'Connor you'll discover the true history of Cornwall, of piskies, giants, trolls mermaids and unruly demons and how they once ruled the land. In these pages you'll learn how places really got their name and why it is that Cornwall has so many saints. You can find out all Lyonesse; the lost city. Learn of the strange ties between King Arthur, his birthplace, the location of his last battle and the lake in which went the sword Excalibar.

The book is written about  an old droll, a story teller, Anthony James who was a real person. Sources say he was born in the late 1700's in Cury and spent his youth in the armed forces, he also played the fiddle and was a prolific story teller. He was blinded during service and after leaving he lived in Stoke Military Hospital in Devonport during the winters months but as soon as the weather grew fair he would travel all over Cornwall telling his tales in exchange for supper and shelter.

In this tale Anthony James travels the land with his young companion Jamie one summer. The writing is utterly charming and Mike O'Connor sure knows how to spin a tale. These fantastic tales have only been preserved through the efforts of people like Robert Hunt and William Bottrell who made it their missions to capture these tale sin print so they could be enjoyed forevermore.

About the Author

Mike O'Connor has been awarded an OBE for his services in Cornish instrumental music, he has also been made a bard of the Gorseth of Cornwall an honour bestowed on people who have contributed  outstandingly to  Cornwall's ancient culture, history and language. He is also a prolific storyteller and regularly performs all over the British Isles.