The Foray of Queen Meave, and Other Legends of Ireland's Heroic Age

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. Aubrey de Vere's Legends of Ireland's Heroic Age is a poetic revival of Ireland's ancient stories, especially the Táin bó Cuailgné and the tragic cycles of Ulster legend. Framed as the work of an old bard, it condenses early tradition while preserving its spirit, presenting a world where history, myth, and song are inseparable. The opening celebrates Ireland's heroic age as one of Europe's great mythic eras, comparing it with Greek, Roman, and Scandinavian legend, and praising its distinctive blend of wildness, grace, pathos, and imaginative force. Central figures such as Fergus, Conor Conchobar, Cuchullain, and Deirdré emerge in a landscape of royal rivalry, prophecy, and doomed greatness. The poems also explore heroism, showing courage in many forms and contrasting pagan legend with Christian reinterpretation. "The Children of Lir" transforms an ancient tale of enchantment and exile into a meditation on innocence, endurance, and heavenly hope, as Finola and her brothers suffer through storm, winter, and centuries of wandering. Across the collection, de Vere reveals a civilization alive with warrior ideals, spiritual depth, and tragic beauty.