Customer Reviews

Irish Folk Ways (Celtic, Irish)

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Estyn Evans, professor and director of the institute of irish studies, Q.U. belfast, produced this excellent survey of rural practices in 1957. Liberally encriched with maps, drawings and photographs, it's very useful to get a picture of a world that has vanished within living memory. The implements my father would have used in his childhood summers on the farm are depicted, contrasted with all manner of regional variants, and farming practices in general are documented, along with whatever historical evidence exists for the history of it's introduction and evolution.
The main focus of the book is on agricultural practice, but includes dwelling and kitchen customs. A brief 12-page chapter at the end deals with superstitions.
I found the discussion of the history of land use (i.e. dissapearance of openfield systems) interesting.
If this book lacks anything, it could have benefited from more on the artisanal aspects, i.e. smithing, pottery, weaving, boatbuilding, brewing, music, etcetera.
Another shortcoming is the lack of information on maritime communities. Barry Cunliffe's "Facing The Ocean" deals with this maritime aspect, though in much greater detail than Evans gives her subject.