Cures of Ireland: A Treasury of Irish Folk Remedies

by Cecily Gilligan

Discover the enduring magic of ancient Irish folk remedies with Cures of Ireland, a captivating journey into the heart of Ireland's healing traditions.

It's said that almost everyone in Ireland, particularly in rural communities, will know of someone with a 'cure'. It might be for the mumps, a stye in the eye, or a sprain. Indeed, the author of Cures of Ireland, Cecily Gilligan was herself cured of jaundice and ringworm by a 'seventh son' in her local Sligo during her childhood. Cecily Gilligan has been researching the rich world of Irish folk cures for almost forty years and, given the tradition has largely been an oral one, has been interviewing a broad range of people from around the country who possess these mystical cures, and those who have benefited from their gifts. One has a cure for eczema that comprises herbal butter balls, another 'buys' warts from the sufferer with safety pins. There are stories of clay from graves with precious healing properties and pieces of cords from potato bags being sent across the world to treat asthma. While the Ireland of the twenty-first century continues to develop at lightning speed, there is something deeply comforting and reassuring in the fact that these ancient healing traditions, while fewer in number, do survive to this day. Cures of Ireland is an exquisitive book that will be treasured by many generations to come.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ireland, Folklore

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Cure of Ireland, by Cecily Gilligan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has cures for almost every ailment known to man. The Irish have folk cures, past down through generations. I really enjoyed this fascinating read.

[Gareth Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book about a curious subject, but it could have been so much better if so many of the author's sources hadn't been anonymised.
Also, she chooses to only interview people with 'the cure' and not those seeking it. It made the book a little repetative when it surely would have been all the better for being more personalised.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone of Irish heritage and an enthusiast of herbal remedies, I was intrigued by “Cures of Ireland.”

It’s clear that the author spent a considerable amount of time gathering information regarding the 119 cures she investigated for this book, and I certainly applaud her efforts. The cures and the intricate rules surrounding them were fascinating to learn about, and I found it interesting that many doctors in Ireland still recommend sending their patients to special people who practice traditional Irish cures when modern medicine doesn’t work.

Unfortunately, there was much repetition and I found myself with little practical takeaway by the end. I felt disappointed and wished that the book was clearer in the beginning about this being a book more for entertainment and information than self-help or herbal remedies.

I would recommend this book to people wanting to learn more about Irish cures in an entertainment sense and not those seeking help.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting history of folk cures in Ireland but the vast majority are faith healing stories, not herbal remedies. I was hoping for traditional herbal remedies but the few mentioned are not likely to work well in most cases (or at least not nearly as well as true herbal remedies, for instance while a plantain poultice might be the modern go-to for a wasp sting, this book might recommend a piece of white bread). There’s about one page of a list of so called cures and the rest of the book is history and anecdotes of modern people and the faith healing they employed. It’s all fascinating stuff, just be aware of what it is and isn’t.

I read a digital copy of this book for review.

[Austin Comerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cecily Gilligan beautifully chronicles her research in Ireland of traditional cures. Most of her work was in the North West area of Sligo/Leitrim.
She interviewed a large number of those who "made" cures and described some of the traditions surrounding the practice of the cure and the succession transmission to next generations.
Cecily noted that many cures were in danger of being lost due to lack of availability of natural remedy ingredients resulting from charging farming practices. She also noted how many were lost over time, especially during periods of mass emigration.
An informative read.

[Julia reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the collection of cures! the way Cecily found out about them and connected to so many people is wonderful to read. I would have loved to get more information on how to reach the people she wrote about, I understand the importance of privacy and how it affects the outcome of the cure but as a traveler (with no family in ireland) it is impossible to get a hold of those people. Maybe it will change in the future, so more people have the possibility to try nature/faith connected cures and to expand their horizon.

[Stefanie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting read on a topic in truly fascinated by! I did not enjoy the organisation of the book though, and felt it could get repetitive.

[Alba Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished it!!! Only took me months. But when I really sat down to do it, read 180 pages in 2 days, why did the first 100 pages take 4 months!? Anyway more to come.

[Noelle]

DNF at 23%

Too repetitive. Everything is “they said a prayer in multiples of threes and the person was cured”
I can’t read anymore of it.