Book picks similar to
Bran agus Sceolán by Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin


childrens-fantasy
childrens-fiction
irish-children
paganism

Dark Warning


Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick - 2012
    She also knows that she must keep her gift a secret—at all costs. Teased and isolated by the local children for being strange, as Taney grows older, she has more and more questions. Why is her father so terrified of her gift? What happened to her mother?Then she meets the mysterious Billy, an outsider just as she is. Charming and attentive, Billy is the first person with whom Taney can simply be herself; with whom she can share her strange burden, and begin, instead, to feel proud of her ability.But then the visions come—lone girls attacked as they walk home at night. And as Billy begins to withdraw further into himself, Taney must ask herself who to trust—her only friend, or the visions that torment her dreams. . . .

Faraway Home


Marilyn Taylor - 1999
    It has become very dangerous to be a Jew in Austria, and after their uncle is sent to Dachau, Karl and Rosa's parents decide to send the children out of the country on a Kindertransport, one of the many ships carrying refugee children away from Nazi danger.Isolated and homesick, Karl ends up in Millisle, a run-down farm in Ards in Northern Ireland, which has become a Jewish refugee centre, while Rosa is fostered by a local family.Hard work on the farm keeps Karl occupied, although he still waits desperately for any news from home. Then he makes friends with locals Peewee and Wee Billy, and also with the girls from neutral Dublin who come to help on the farm, especially Judy. But Northern Ireland is in the war too, with rationing and air-raid warnings, and, in April 1941 the bombs of the Belfast Blitz bring the reality of war right to their doorstep.And for Karl and Rosa and the other refugees there is the constant fear that they may never see their parents again.Based on a true story -- there was a refugee farm at Millisle and among its occupants was a young boy called Karl.

The Guns of Easter


Gerard Whelan - 1997
    From the poverty of the Dublin slums twelve-year-old Jimmy Conway sees it all as glorious, and loves the British Army for which his father is fighting.But when war comes to his own streets Jimmy's loyalties are divided. The rebels occupy the General Post Office and other parts of the city, and Jimmy's uncle is among them. Dublin's streets are destroyed, business comes to a halt.In an attempt to find food for his family, Jimmy crosses the city, avoiding the shooting, weaving through the army patrols, hoping to make it home before curfew. But his quest is not easy and danger threatens at every corner.

The Master of the Fallen Chairs


Henry Porter - 2008
    Skirl has a house within a house and it teems with terrifying creatures.This is the domain of the ageless Alba Hockmuth, who glides with demonic ease between the dead and the living, the past and the present, and is hellbent on Kim's demise.But help arrives in the most unusual form of Iggy Ma-tuu Clava. In a race against time, he and Kim must discover the secrets of the curse which lies in a painting by the Master of the Fallen Chairs.This is to say nothing - well, as little as possible - about the Great Auk, the last and undoubtedly the most indignant of her species, who somehow manages to remain alive and flipping in the strange conditions of the House at Skirl.

Dragons of Deltora: Special Edition, Books 3 & 4


Emily Rodda - 2006
    Seven mysterious dragons. A race against time.Aided by the mysterious magic of Deltora's last dragons, Lief, Barda and Jasmine have found and destroyed two of the Four Sisters, evil Shadow Lord creations that have been poisoning Deltora. Now, aware that time is running out for the kingdom's starving people, the adventurers are racing to their goal, on the wild west coast.

Black Harvest


Ann Pilling - 1983
    It would have been perfect if only they hadn't had to drag along their cousin Oliver. But Oliver, it turns out, isn't their biggest problem. Almost from the moment they arrive, Colin feels sick from an awful smell, so powerful and horrible that it seems to be rising from the land of the dead. At the same time, Prill is visited by a strange creature creeping into her dreams. Who is she, and what does she want? Only Oliver seems untouched by the danger. As the hot summer days continue, their terror mounts and their baby sister becomes critically ill. Oliver links the present horror with the terrible famine in Ireland of the 1840s - and the strange occupant of the nearby caravan, whose land was lost then through eviction - and he must bring about the reconciliation to save himself and his cousins.

The Secret of the Ruby Ring


Yvonne MacGrory - 1991
    This gift, a star ruby ring, has been passed down for generations through Lucy's family. The evening before her birthday, Lucy accidently discovers the magical secret of the ring:The secret of this Ruby Ring is that two wishes it can bringTwisting the ring and making her first wish, Lucy finds herself transported to a far away time, that of Ireland in 1885, a time of unrest, evictions, and boycotting. At first, Lucy is intrigued by Langley Castle and its inhabitants, but soon she misses her family and friends. When she decides to use her second wish to go home, Lucy discovers that the ring has disappeared.Can Lucy convince young Robert that she is from another age? Will he help her to retrieve the ruby ring, or will Lucy be trapped forever in a bygone age?

The Hound of Ulster


Rosemary Sutcliff - 1963
    The boy who takes up the spear and shield of Manhood on this day will become the most renowned of all the warriors of Ireland, men will follow at his call to the world's end, and his enemies will shudder at the thunder of his chariot wheels. So the prophecy went, and as the boy Cuchulain heard it, he went forward to claim the weapons of his manhood. This is the story of how he became the greatest of heroes—the Hound of Ulster.

Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent


Alan Early - 2011
    While exploring the dangerous tunnel and a hidden underground river, Arthur and his new friends Will and Ash find a mysterious glowing pendant. The pendant depicts a giant snake strangling the trunk of a tree. The friends soon figure out that the pendant is a warning, a sign that something evil is waiting underneath the city. Something that's been imprisoned for a thousand years, something left by the Vikings, something that can - and will - destroy first the city, then the world. What did the Vikings bury under the city of Dublin and why did they leave it there? Who is the dark man that spies on Arthur and what is his evil plan? In the end, only Arthur and his friends can save the world from the dreaded World Serpent.Request a FREE autograph for the books - (ideal for ebooks!) - here:http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/al...

A Gnome's Christmas


Bruce Goldstone - 2004
    A mysterious box found in an old barn in Finland contains papers which detail how gnomes celebrate Christmas with games, music, food, and stories.

Taking Flight


Sheena Wilkinson - 2010
    Moving from a harsh West Belfast estate to the glamour of the showjumping ring, Taking Flight is a fast-paced story of courage overcoming jealousy.

Run With the Wind


Tom McCaughren - 1983
    The fur companies are hunting them almost to extinction. The foxes have no choice but to set out in search of the secret of survival. Join them in their spectacular journey through city and countryside, as they rediscover what it means to be 'as cunning as a fox.'

Highway Robbery


Kate Thompson - 2008
    And when I come back I'll give you a golden guinea.'It's more money than the street urchin has ever dreamt of. But who is the rider, and why is there so much interest in his big black horse? And will the boy ever see the money he has been promised?There's highway robbery in the air, but it isn't always entirely clear just who is trying to rob who.

Motherfoclóir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language


Darach Ó Séaghdha - 2017
    As the title suggests, 'Motherfoclóir' takes an irreverent, pun-friendly and contemporary approach to the Irish language. The translations are expanded on and arranged into broad categories that allow interesting connections to be made, and sprinkled with anecdotes and observations about Irish and Ireland itself, as well as language in general. The author includes stories about his own relationship with Irish, and how it fits in with the most important events in his life. This is a book for all lovers of the quirks of language.

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions


H.R. Ellis Davidson - 1988
    Yet, few people realize the significance of the similarities and contrasts between the religions of the pre-Christian people of north-western Europe. The Celts and Germans and Scandinavians had much in common in their religious practices and beliefs, and this is the first serious attempt that has been made to compare them. There are striking resemblances in their ideas about battle-goddesses and protective spirits, holy places, sacrificial rituals, divination and ideas about the Other World; and Myths and symbols in pagan Europe poses questions like: do such parallels go back to early times or are they owing to late Viking contact?