Ireland Legends Folklore

by Aoife Curran

Genres: Irish Literature, History, Folklore, Ireland, Mythology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Andrew Clinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up in advance of my trip to Ireland, hoping to learn a bit about the country where most of my ancestors originated. Although most of the locations presented I won't be seeing this trip, I do have a lot of interest in Ireland prior to St. Patrick bringing Christianity to the island. It seems like the people's religion was very much based on the Earth and space and used specific days of the year for celebrations based on the sun and moon. I also would like to read more about Saint Patrick himself and how he was so successful in spreading Christianity throughout Ireland. We owe it to ourselves to learn about where we came from. Although I won't be able to learn much more before my trip, I will need to continue to do my research so the next time I am there, and I can create my own itinerary, I can make sure I visit some of these ancient and historical sights in Ireland.

[Julia Danchertsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photos.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a visually stunning book. It seems like a pretty comprehensive look at its subject. My main issue with it is the formatting, not the content. And the problem with that is that the format is so distracting that it made it impossible (for me) to enjoy the book. I get the impression that this was originally laid out to be a folio-sized "coffee table book" and for whatever reason, was reduced to an octavo size. Unfortunately, that reduced the font to near illegibility for me. While I normally only require 1.0 readers, this book requires a magnifying glass. So, while it certainly has a lot of promise, I don't recommend the octavo size version. If it comes in a quarto or folio, I definitely recommending looking at this book.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best collection I've seen. Too many pictures overlaid with giant blocks of tiny print make for a hard reading. There's a lot of overlapping story, but no real connections are made between them. Everything is laid out in a fairly dull fashion, making for a laborious, rather than enjoyable, read. No wonder this was on 90% off clearance at B&N. Will be keeping until I can find a more in-depth or more pleasurable collection of Ireland's Legends and Folklores.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albeit stunning images of Ireland it seems more like a pictograph book with at least half the book containing historical information and folklore. But still the author went into great detail while also simplifying the folklore and history of Ireland without running off the point. This book is simple to follow and is great for anyone who is a beginner of Irish folklore.