Overview

Step into the green heart of Ireland, where mist drifts over hills once walked by saints, and the air still hums with the music of myth. Tales From The Land of Saints & Scholars gathers together a vibrant collection of Irish folktales, fairy tales, myths, and legends, stories first told by firelight in cottages and crossroads, to teach, to enchant, and to remember. This new, revised and adapted fourth edition celebrates the brilliance and depth of Ireland's storytelling tradition. Within these pages you'll meet wise fools and fearless queens, poets and warriors, shapeshifters, spirits, and the bright, capricious folk of the Otherworld. These are tales steeped in landscape and language, shaped by laughter and loss, and bound by a timeless sense of wonder. Some are fierce, others tender, but all are alive with the rhythm of Ireland itself. In these Irish tales you can hear the shared song of humanity, the same longings, fears, and hopes that echo through every culture's oldest stories. Tales From The Land of Saints & Scholars reminds us that storytelling is both inheritance and an act of faith, a way of keeping memory bright in a darkening world. Open the book, and let the voices of Ireland speak once more across time and tide.

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9781915081674

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Reviews

I have edited Clive Gilson's books for over a decade now - he's prolific and can turn his hand to many genres. poetry, short fiction, contemporary novels, folklore, and science fiction - and the common theme is that none of them ever fails to take my breath away. There's something in each story that is either memorably poignant, hauntingly unnerving, or sidesplittingly funny - Lorna Howarth, The Write Factor A Solitude of Stars: With deft turns of phrase and an imagination that would make Philip K. Dick jealous, Gilson foresees a dystopian future, the seeds of which are definitely being sown right now. The story is a chilling glimpse of what may come to pass, warmed by a thread of love that raises the narrative beyond despair. I found the stories disturbing and breath-taking in equal measure. The Apparat and Dirigiste tribes are ranging across our solar system seeking peace by waging war, raising the question; is humanity actually capable of peace? A riveting read. - Rob Swan, The Write Factor Songs of Bliss gripped me from the start - I had to read right to the end. Loved the humour. Impressed by the surprising empathy that I felt for rather - on the face of it - unlikeable characters. Look forward to seeing it in print. - Maighdean-Mhara, commenting on Authonomy Melodies In Black Ink: A collection of darkly captivating short tales, each inspired by the melodies that move us, the lyrics that linger, and the stories hidden between the notes. Gilson (editor of the international Fireside Stories series) offers a dark, poignant collection of genre-crossing stories, all inspired by songs, that explore the fragile intersections of love, loss, resilience, and the shadows we carry. Ranging from children with superpowers to accounts of blossoming love, abusive relationships, unexpected pregnancies, and the isolating rhythm of a machine-driven society, Gilson's stories capture raw textures of the human experience in a key suggested by their musical inspirations, which include lushly brooding tracks from Kate Bush, This Mortal Coil, Angel Olsen, The Cure, and Youssou N'Dour (the sublime ""7 Seconds,"" a duet with Neneh Cherry.) Gilson has a gift for moment-to-moment storytelling that grips and then lingers, like Gorilla Glue stuck to one's fingertips, resisting even the harshest solvents of reason. Life goes wrong in unpredictable yet resonant ways throughout these 26 compact tales, and Gilson's vivid portrayals of scenery and emotion make it easy to lose oneself in these narratives, drowning in a wave of feeling that refuses to let go. From the Scottish Highlands to space travel to the blood-soaked earth of Danish-Viking battlefields-told from the perspective of Ulfhednar and his sacred wolf, Ulric-these stories span wide imaginative terrain. Despite some big ideas and SF elements, characterization is compelling. ""The Jakey and the Nae Chancer"" introduces Elliot and Fiona, who have perfected the art of detachment, the latter of whom ""was almost certain that her heart was too delicate to risk breaking again."" One of the most heart-wrenching stories, ""Be Well,"" is inspired by a devastating loss. It's a piece that does more than tug at the heart, it reaches in and seizes hold with unrelenting intensity. Adding a unique dimension, each story concludes with a toast to the song and artist that inspired it, an invitation to experience these briskly potent stories on another sensory level, with a soundtrack tying words to melody, emotion to rhythm. Melodies in Black Ink is not light reading-but it is deeply moving, with haunting emotional rewards. Searing, surprising stories of urgent feeling, inspired by beloved songs.

Author Information

Clive Gilson was born in 1962 into a household steeped in sport and rhythm. His father was a senior amateur and lower-league professional footballer, while his mother, equally formidable, was an award-winning ballroom dancer. Their spirited household didn't just hum with ambition, it danced to it.After earning a degree in History from Leeds University, Clive took an unexpected turn into the then-nascent world of information technology in the late 1980s. Yet, the call of story and stage never left him. Alongside a thriving tech career, he freelanced as a journalist and book reviewer, earning one small by-line in the national press, and also spent over a decade performing in village halls and professional theatres across the south of England.A true inheritor of his family's sporting zeal, Clive later pivoted into live sports broadcasting. In the 1990s, he became a trusted rugby 'stato' for the BBC, ITV, EuroSport, and TVNZ, bringing insight and analysis to major tournaments including the Heineken Cup, Six Nations, World Sevens, and Rugby World Cups.As a writer, Clive has made his mark across genres. His debut novel, Songs of Bliss, was published in 2017, followed by A Solitude of Stars in 2019. Since then, he has released three acclaimed short story collections, The Mechanic's Curse, The Insomniac Booth, and, in 2025, Melodies in Black Ink.He is also an award-winning poet and the author of a biography detailing the life of a former professional footballer, namely his father. Since 2018, Clive has served as Managing Editor of the Firesides Tales Project, a global storytelling initiative that has published over 30 collections of folktales, fairy tales, myths, and legends from around the world.Today, Clive continues to write fiction rich in folklore, memory, and quiet transformation, combining his deep love of narrative with a lifelong fascination with the human spirit.For more about his work, visit clivegilson.com, where stories are always waiting to be found.

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