Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland

An Irish storyteller revisits the little-known legend of the Mermaid Saint in a haunting, beautifully illustrated tale of kindness, music and longing.

Long ago, on the eastern coast of Ireland, a monk from the Abbey of Bangor was collecting driftwood along the shore when he found a boy washed up amid a circle of seals. At first the boy could barely move or speak. But when he regained his strength, he recalled being brought ashore by a lady with long golden hair who sang him to safety and gave him a silver ring. The monks knew the legend of a mermaid who had wandered the coast for three hundred years. Could it possibly have been her?

Inspired by a story told in medieval chronicles of Irish history, debut author Marianne McShane weaves a captivating tale, while Jordi Solano captures the legends spare but welcoming abbey on the rocky shore setting that makes you believe that if you listen hard enough, you too can hear the mermaids song.