"Whilst growing up as a child in rural Glenarm, County Antrim, over fifty years ago, my generation and I were, without realising it at the time, witnessing the final throes of a transition from the old order to the new. We were moving from a time when the ancient folklore, musical and oral traditions of the Antrim Glens had all but given way to the modern world. The society we inhabit today bears very little resemblance to that old world - for better or for worse - and without becoming too sentimental and nostalgic about it, there is no question that important and valuable aspects of our cultural heritage have been eroded. This wonderful book brings to life a time before the tyranny of modern technology, when storytellers and musicians were still an integral part of our rural communities. Stories, poetry and recitation had been embedded in our towns and villages as part of an evolving continuum for millennia. This aspect of people's lives anchored them to their locality and fired the collective imagination of old and young alike. They are the reason why myths and folkloric tales told around the hearth of every home from generation to generation were enjoyed and venerated so much. A fascination in these tales and oral traditions persists to this day, and even now, after so much change, the stories and verse in this book still resonate in exactly the same way.

I have known Colin Urwin for many years. I first knew him when he was demonstrating his remarkable skills as a falconer at Glenarm Castle some thirty years ago and now he has emerged as a professional folk singer, songwriter and storyteller. In this book he has created original stories built around fragments of folk and family lore using the motifs and conventions of an ancient story-telling tradition. I rather like the description of them by one observer as "folktales of the future", as it seems to encapsulate their timelessness. Crucially, these stories retain that vital element of mystery, suspense and haunting spirituality that captures the reader's imagination at the beginning and hooks them firmly in until the very end." Randal McDonnell 15th Earl of Antrim Chief of the Antrim McDonnells "Colin Urwin is a well-known storyteller of the Irish oral tradition. With an abiding interest in the folktales, legends, and mythology of his native Glens of Antrim, his authentic narrative style has captivated audiences all over the world. Now he has set down in print a collection of stories which will take readers on a journey of enchantment along the far-famed Antrim coast.

From unearthly creatures half seal and half human to ancient warriors gifted with second sight, each story affords a glimpse into an otherworld once familiar to our ancestors. There are dark and delicious adaptations of more familiar local yarns about ruthless highwaymen and tragic shipwrecks. Colin's stories connect the reader with the folklore, history and geography of this most beautiful and mystical corner of Ireland in a unique and emotive way. This book is a must for those who love good tales well told." Felix McKillop, Educator, Historian, Author.