The Lore of Ireland: An Encyclopaedia of Myth, Legend and Romance

by D ith O hOg in

Overview

The definitive reference book on Ireland's cultural and religious heritage.

Ireland has one of the finest cultural heritages and a standard reference book combining the related subjects of folklore, myth, legend and romance is long overdue. There are 350 substantial entries, in alphabetical order from Abán, a 6th-century saint, to Weather, all with full references to sources, a synopsis of relevant stories, and discussion of their origin, nature and development. These are complimented by a genre-list of material under various headings, such as Mythical Lore, Fianna Cycle, Ulster Cycle, King Cycles, Peoples and Traditions, Religious Lore, and Folk Custom and Belief. There is also a wealth of genealogical detail, indicating how historical and social circumstances have influenced the growth and spread of Irish lore.

DAITHI O HOGAIN, Associate Professor of Irish Folklore at UniversityCollege Dublin, was an international authority on folklore and traditional literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781843832157
Publisher:	Boydell & Brewer, Limited
Publication date:	04/20/2006
Pages:	549
Sales rank:	674,838
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

Editorial Reviews

Superb from beginning to end. [...] Essential for all scholars of Ireland's mythology.

FORTEAN TIMES

With its profusion of atmospheric allusions and spirited retellings, grounded in a scholarly acuity, [it] adds up to a complex delineation of an ancient, reimagined and still functioning cultural terrain.

TLS

An exhaustive collection of folktales and history from the Emerald Isle. An essential resource about Ireland's legends.

RENAISSANCE MAGAZINE

An invaluable resource for Hibernophiles. This is a refreshing and reasonably priced new treatment of Ireland's lore.

CHOICE

An exhaustive collection of folktales and history from the Emerald Isle. An essential resource about Ireland's legends. RENAISSANCE MAGAZINE
Superb from beginning to end. [...] Essential for all scholars of Ireland's mythology. FORTEAN TIMES
With its profusion of atmospheric allusions and spirited retellings, grounded in a scholarly acuity, [it] adds up to a complex delineation of an ancient, reimagined and still functioning cultural terrain. TLS
An invaluable resource for Hibernophiles. This is a refreshing and reasonably priced new treatment of Ireland's lore. CHOICE

From the Publisher

Irish myth, legend, and romance simply cannot be encyclopedized in a single volume, even one that is well over 500 pages long. A handbook, then, well annotated, succinctly written, and dense with fact (presented in 350 A-to-Z entries) might be a better description of this book. Hogain (Irish folklore, University Coll., Dublin), the author of 40 books and a broadcaster to boot, announces in the preface that he wants to make Irish lore available to readers at every level, but this book is not a tool for anyone new to the Irish language or its history. The lack of a conventional index and choice of entry require familiarization; cross references are typographically indicated, but some familiar terms are hard to find. "Banshee" is here, for instance, but not the "Sidhe." Hogain generously includes many of Ireland's enemies as well as its heroes, although no 20th-century figures have yet become lore to him. Bottom Line An excellent work, somewhat broadly named and requiring some scholarship to absorb its very high level of information on all things Irish, this book is appropriate for both general and specialized collections.-Shelley Cox, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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