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

An exhaustive collection of folktales and history from the Emerald Isle. An essential resource about Ireland's legends. RENAISSANCE MAGAZINESuperb from beginning to end. (...) Essential for all scholars of Ireland's mythology. FORTEAN TIMESWith 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. TLSAn invaluable resource for Hibernophiles. This is a refreshing and reasonably priced new treatment of Ireland's lore. CHOICE

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

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

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 University College Dublin, is an international authority on folklore and traditional literature.

FROM the TLS, 15 September 2006:
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.