When the King of Ireland dispatches his three sons - Art, Neart and Ceart - to determine the source of the heavenly music that can be heard all throughout the land, he promises half his kingdom to the one who can solve the mystery. In true fairy-tale style, it is the youngest who triumphs, journeying through a strange underground land to the palace of a terrible giant, where he discovers the daughter of the King of Greece at her harp. Aided by a magical horse, Art defeats the giant and rescues the princess, returning home for his reward...

An original tale first published as part of Brendan Behan's Island: An Irish Sketch-Book in 1962, The King of Ireland's Son utilizes so many of the traditional motifs of the folk genre - the three sons, the three old men met on the journey, the magical horse, and the hiding places uses by Art - that it seems like "the real thing." P.J. Lynch - who has also worked on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, and E. Nesbit's Melisande - contributes gorgeous artwork to this edition, colorful and expressive. Well worth the time of anyone interested in Irish folklore and storytelling, although readers should be aware that this is a very different tale from the similarly titled The King of Ireland's Son, written by Padraic Colum in 1916. ( )