American readers may be familiar with Eddie Lenihan's collection of Irish fairy stories, Meeting the Other Crowd, recently published here in the United States by Tarcher/Putnam. A traditional storyteller, or senchaí, Lenihan here offers four longer tales from the Irish tradition, all centered on the exploits of the hero Fionn Mac Cumhaíl and his band of warriors, the Fianna. Included are:

How the First Blackbird Came to Ireland, in which Fionn is tricked into swimming all the way to Norway to fetch back Ireland's first song-birds...

The Strange Case of Seán na Súl, in which Fionn and the Fianna must defeat a terrible eye-less stranger who is kidnapping all the people of Clare...

Taoscán Mac Liath and the Magic Bees, in which the druid Taoscán learns the secret of some magical bees from an Icelandic druid, but discovers that true knowledge of bees still has its uses...

Fionn Mac Cumhaíl and the Making of the Burren, in which Fionn and the Fianna inadvertently create the massive limestone fields of the Burren (county Clare) while trying to fetch eels for King Aengus...

A quick, enjoyable read, enhanced by the wood-block illustrations of Joseph Gervin. ( )