Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland by Jordi Solano, Marianne McShane
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536200220
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy, Folklore
Format: Picture Book Fiction
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“Ronan and the Mermaid,” was inspired by a legend from medieval chronicles of Irish history about a marvelous happening in the year 558. It is a story of kindness, music, and longing.

The setting for this tale is the “ancient Abbey of Bangor, nestled on the edge of the Irish Sea.” There, a monk, Brother Declan, while out searching for driftwood, discovers a young boy,  washed upon the shore, wearing a golden ring, and surrounded by seals.   Brother Declan,  remembering old tales of seals and mermaids,  gently carries the boy  to the abbey,  Gently cared for by the monks, the young boy revives and begins to tell  of a “lady with golden hair,” who gave him the golden ring. The lady told the young boy that one day he “would  help her.”

So Ronan begins to tell his tale  of being of being  awakened, one night, by a sweet and sorrowful singing.  He soon sets out in his currach to find it’s source.   Ronan  sets his nets and takes his precious harp from a leather bag and begins to play music which draws a mermaid  to Ronan’s boat.  Ronan finds the mermaid caught in his net and learns that she has been at sea and  without shelter for 300 years. While pulling her aboard, he loses his precious harp which sinks to the bottom of the sea. Rowing back to the Abbey with the mermaid and  a  grieving heart,  we are told  there was “no sacrifice he would not make to help her.”   Her name was LIban and in later years she became known as the Mermaid Saint   From then on, LIban continued to keep Ronan safe as he continued to fish.  Liban later became known as the Mermaid Saint.

The annals also record the Abbot  Comhgall of Bangor baptized Liban and gave her the name Muirgen, meaning “born of the sea.”

Sumptuous  illustrations by Jordi Solano, greatly enhance the atmospheric feel of this beautiful Irish tale. He is also the illustrator of “Beyond the Sixth Extinction,” and ‘Swimming with the Sharks. He lives in Spain.

Wonderful story to use when studying old tales and legends with elementary age children.