A new collection of Celtic myths and legends from Irish author Rachel Pierce is set to feature the Isle of Man.

‘Tales for the Brave’ will be published in September, and will include folk tales crammed full of magic, danger, intrigue, sorrow and suspense.

The book is a collection of 15 mythical stories from the Celtic tradition, drawing on stories from Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany.

Author Rachel Pierce lives in Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland, and is also a freelance editor and writer.

Talking about the book, Rachel said: ‘These are tales that are told with pure wonder, where magic and magical beings are ordinary and where the “Otherworld” neighbours this world - parallel, close by, but mostly unseen.

‘The book is set at Samhain, where the border between this world and the Otherworld becomes thin and permeable, and the spirits can roam to tell their stories.’

Rachel states that she’s had an interest in historical sites and the stories that emanate from them for a long time due to her work as an editor.

She continued: ‘They have always felt like “proper” storytelling to me, with that mix of wonder and joy that I associate with reading and listening to stories as a child, when the story, for the duration of the telling, became more real than your actual world.

‘That is a form of magic in itself.’

The collection features two stories from the Isle of Man – ‘The Perilous Quest of Eshyn the Wronged’ and ‘The Warlock’s Revenge’.

Eshyn’s story is set in his father’s castle in Doolish (Douglas), from where he is banished after a curse transforms him into an ugly creature.

The second story is the tale of Gilaspick Qualtrough, a fisherman from Booilushag, and the princess he rescues from the dire and powerful Prince Imshee.

Talking about the island, Rachel said: ‘As a child, living on Ireland’s east coast, we were always told that you could see the Isle of Man on a clear day.

‘We would strain our eyes to the horizon, looking for any telltale sign, then swear blind that the smudge we could definitely see in the distance was the island. It was a bit like the Otherworld in these stories – always there, but just out of sight.

‘I have been to the island, but not for many years. I went with my family in July 1978, when I was almost four years old.

‘We were returning to the Villa Marina because it was where my father had proposed to my mother in 1966, as the Ivy Benson band played in the ballroom.’

Between research, writing and editing, it has taken Rachel roughly 18 months to complete the collection after starting the book at the end of 2022.

Providing words of advice for young writers, she added: ‘Enjoy the act of storytelling and storyhearing. Follow your curiosity and natural interests - write what you see in your own head.’

Tales for the Brave will be published on Thursday, September 14, with details on where to purchase the book in the island yet to be confirmed.