Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Get this deal Try for £0.00
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Children of Lir cover art

The Children of Lir

By: Benedict Flynn
Narrated by: Marcella Riordan
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £1.79

Buy Now for £1.79

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Editor reviews

The sea god Lir is angered when his rival Bodb Dearg is made king, and in order to keep him happy, he sends his daughter Aoibh to marry Lir and bear him four children. Following Aoibh's death, Bodb sends him another daughter, who is consumed by jealousy over the children's strong familial bonds. After failing to kill them, she instead enacts a curse that turns them into swans. Marcella Riordan gives a beautiful performance of Benedict Flynn's adaptation of this classic Irish myth, imbuing the legend with a respectful grace that honors its tradition within Irish literature.

Summary

This is a story from the Tales of Irish Myths collection.

Three key stories from the mists of Irish legends retold by Benedict Flynn. It is a mysterious world that this selection of stories from the treasure house of Irish myths describes. Here, the line between the fantastical and the real is blurred: mortals and immortals lead entwined lives.
Public Domain (P)2000 Naxos Audiobooks
Children's Audiobooks
Show More Show Less

Critic reviews

"Brave heroes, powerful gods, and cunning women match brains and brawn in this collection of three classic Celtic myths retold here, much as they may have been around Irish peat fires of years ago. Listeners will become entranced by 'The Tale of Cu Chulainn,' 'The Children of Lir,' and 'The Tale of Finn Mac Cool.' With excellent narration by Dermot Kerrigan and Marcella Riordan, these tales still have the power to entice the imagination and stir the soul more than 1000 years after they were first told. Both narrators do a fine job of using just the right amount of brogue when pronouncing the multitude of Irish names that would tongue-tie many others. Although part of the Junior Classics Series, there is nothing in the telling that denotes these tales as being intended only for children since the Irish terminology is neither watered down nor explained, leaving listeners to infer the meanings of some words through the content of the story. Orchestral music is the only sound effect used, or needed, to accentuate particularly significant points in the stories. A brief history of Irish storytelling and of these three tales, in particular, is included." ( School Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Children of Lir

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Rosajo

Beautiful

One of the best versions I've heard. Great performance, music really enhanced the listening.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!