Finn and His Companions

This children's book tells the story of Finn, who was the father of the great poet Ossian. This is a story of the influence of St. Patrick (and hence Christianity) on the Irish people, with the mythical Finn as the centerpiece of this emergence of an Irish sentiment. A very interesting study in early Irish/pagan/druid history filled with all the usual characters including dragons and warriors and mystics. Standish James O'Grady (1846-1928) was a leading figure in the Irish Celtic literary renaissance. He grew up under the old feudal regime, passed through the great agrarian revolution, and finally lived to see Southern Ireland a Free State, ruled by a democracy.