This is the perfect book for anyone with an interest in the ancient folklore and mythology of the British Isles. This volume spans a wide range of legends both familiar and unfamiliar, from the connections between Celtic deities and Roman ones (e.g. Sul and Minerva, familiar to visitors of the the Roman Baths!) to tales of lesser-known figures (such as the romance of Culhwch and Olwen) from the Welsh Mabinogion. Arthurian lore is also woven in, offering an interesting angle on the legendary king of Britain and his knights of the Round Table. The final chapter explores major Celtic influences carrying across the ages into the music (such as Wagnerian opera) and literature (such as the poetry of WB Yeats) that we enjoy today.

The only things that I think would have made this book even better are images in full-colour, and a bibliography with suggestions for further in-depth reading on specific topics introduced in this book. Nevertheless, I will certainly be recommending this book to students who enjoy history, mythology, and ancient literature!

I've always been a fan of mythology, especially the more obscure myths and legends. There is so much misinformation running around these days that it can be hard to tease out the facts. Lots of New Age mysticism and Neopaganism draw from supposedly Celtic or Druidic sources. But we know so little about the ancient druids and Celtic peoples, simply because of lack of primary written sources, that people get sucked into so much nonsense. This book is well written and highly informative and very engaging to help combat some of the misinformation out there; I highly recommend it if you are looking for information on ancient Celtic legends. Be warned, this is not a series of myths and stories, but a background on who the Celts were, what some of their beliefs were, their historical impact on Western Europe and the British Isles as well as some of their legends woven around their history. It is a good introductory guide to the Celts.

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A very good book for all apart for those turning to this hoping to find an anthology of folk tales and suchlike, just as it would have been when first published in 2016. Starting with the history of the Celts we get to slowly peek at some of their mythology, before settling down with both a telling and a discussion alike of some of their more notable legends. We're constantly reminded we have to step back and not think of these as anything definitive, for the simple fact Celts never wrote anything, and this material is much more likely to be somewhat Christianised.

And almost by the end, with exiled swans, a salmon of all knowledge, and far too much death and destruction because of a pair of bulls, we have had things that could possibly be extracted out of this that stand as just the traditional narratives. But this remains a book showing us what we know of them, and not their latest retelling, and it's done very well. Highly pictorial and readable, we have something with a fair few box-outs that can be a touch annoying (I saved them all collectively until a second scan through, and found most of them needed a specific placement in the narrative). By far however the biggest annoyance is the fact there is no attempt at a pronunciation guide – when something like Cuailnge equals Cooley (and I can't even include the accent) it certainly should have found a way on to these pages. Still, for the merits of what I did get, four stars are in order.

This is a really neat book, not only about Celtic Mythis, but also Celtic history. I was thorougly intrigued to learn about the history of my own family (in a general way) that came from Ireland. This is a great book for adults, or even kids. Fans of Percy Jackson and other mythical based stories will love learning the truth behind the legends in this well written book.

This book is a general interest book on Celtic mythology. It begins with a discussion of the ancient Celts, who they were and the legends that surrounded them. It then moves to stories from Irish mythology: the Celtic cosmos, the Wars of Ulster and the Fenian Cycle. A retelling of some stories from the Welsh Mabinogion is also included. The book is filled with illustrations. While it references archeological discoveries and research, there are no references or bibliography for further study. The writing and the tone is more conversational than academic.

A good introduction to the celtic myths, easy to follows and with a lot of picture.
Informative and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is not just a retelling of Celtic myths and fairy tales (which it includes) but an analysis of these stories and artifacts to give some insight into the mindset of Celtic people and a history of the development of these ideas and their influence on other ethnic groups' mythology and religious beliefs. The focus is on Ireland but it includes other Celtic areas of settlement, particularly those pushed to the margins and outer lying areas such as parts of Spain and France.

For those looking just for stories, they may be disappointed in this book. There is a lot of analysis and the incorporation of modern concepts of historiography, the legacy of imperialism and prejudice, place name analysis, archaeology, and what Celtic myths represent to people today. However, for people who are interested in these things, it is a treasure trove of information, beautiful images--both written and pictorial--and a way of thinking about Celtic myths in a new perspective, a possible insight into the mindset of Celtic people as well as putting it in context of contemporary groups.

I found it very interesting and strongly recommend it for people who are interested in myths and the story behind the stories.

Thanks to Negalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

I had thought that this would be a collection of Celtic myths that read like a fairytale book, but it reads more like a textbook. Regardless, this is full of good information and is very thorough and concise!

A very interesting read, well researched . I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who likes ancient history and legends.

A very interesting and comprehensive book on the origin of the Celtic myths that still fascinate us today. The reconstruction of the formation of a legendary corpus that originally relied only on oral transmission, with the necessary filters taking into account the type of transcribers, up to the transformation into romantic heroes of characters whose vision of the world was probably completely alien to our own, is admirable. Truly important reading for those who wish to approach Celtic mythology from a literary point of view.

This is a beautiful and well written book about Celtic Myth. The illustrations are well done and the flow of Celtic image perfectly manifests with the stories and many interesting facts and impressions. My favorite is the stories of the invasions of Ireland and the stories of the Tuatha an Milesians. This book includes King Arthur and his importance in the myths of a people. Excellent and very well laid out.

Found it a times a bit confusing but I did love how there was notes to help give you more information, and I did over all enjoy it because I don't read enough Celtic myth books .

Unfortunately not for me!
Too academic to be a sweet pleasant read but not academic enough to stop me from underlining paragraphs and asking for the source. I may just know too much to accept some of it as face value, and I wish some of the side notes were not presented as objective facts.
I also found it a little confusing. I appreciated the side notes and additions to the mythical parts of the book, but the greyed-out paragraphs kept breaking my immersion. Overall I found those most interesting and I wish the book just committed to interpreting the myths and relating them to modern experience.
That being said I do think that it's a good start for people who are interested in Irish mythology non-academically.

Not exactly what I expected but remarkably interesting, nonetheless. I had to read paragraphs multiple times because I kept getting lost. But that was more on me than it was the author.

This is a generous, even-handed, and eminently readable survey. The introductory sketch of the history of the Celts is helpful as a stage setting frame. Understandably we direct a great deal of attention to Irish myth, but Wales also figures heavily in the narrative. The rest of Celtic Britain receives more of just a brief nod. In addition to recounting actual tales there is an effort by the author to set the treatment of the stories in an historical context, especially toward the end of the book. Kerrigan is a gracious narrator who capably mixes storytelling, some academic background, and personal appreciation and reflection in a fashion that engages, entertains, and informs. A very satisfying basic introduction.

LOVE! One of my favourite topics, this is an informative and engrossing read on the wonders and marvels of Celtic myth and folklore. This is a treasure, and one I will be dipping into on a regular basis.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for my ARC.

Four Stars.