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The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit
This exciting project brings together decades of study about mythology with one seeker’s circuambulation through the landscape of Ireland, all described with a poet’s voice. Pat Monaghan has studied and taught many integrated studies in poetry, science, mythology, feminist spirituality, environmental studies, chaos theory, and religion. All of these disciplines inform her writing, but none distract from the poetic story-telling or the mystical lore she encounters and then conveys. Her journey takes her to a churchyard with a fountain representing St. Bridget, perhaps a Christian representation of the Celtic goddess of water, fire, and transformation, called Brigit. Monaghan describes spiral petroglyphs and ancient sacred caves, bogs and woods where fairies have played their tricks on humans, and water falls that became sacred spots. The stories instruct and teach, as Monaghan points to ways that these myths still reveal the truths of human life, and the contradictions of love and hate, mother and seductress, harmony and struggle that are embodied in women’s lives — in all of human existence.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Patricia Monaghan
50 books57 followersPatricia Monaghan was a poet, a writer, a spiritual activist, and an influential figure in the contemporary women's spirituality movement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 6, 2007
I was familiar with the bulk of Patricia Monaghan's work before reading her latest labor of love. She had become one of my favorite authors years before my tenure as co-editor of the women's feminist spirituality quarterly, The Beltane Papers, of which she was a member of the Advisory Council. I often turned to her works (and still do) always well-researched and written in an easy, conversational style, as a reference source for my own works. For anyone interested in the history of Irish or Goddess spirituality or Goddesslore, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog, is an absolute joy to read and fascinating in its wealth of information.
Born from the requests of friends for travel recommendations in Ireland, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog is also interspersed with respectful explorations of Irish culture and politics. Through witty anecdotes about her friends and the new people she meets in her travels, Patricia conveys to us the history of a people thousands of years old at once lyrical and modern. Her mindful and understandable accounts of Pagan and Catholic/Protestant viewpoints coupled with historical theory were both comprehensive and compelling to this reader, reminding me of a long time friend, residing in England who surprised many with a seemingly opposite switch from Catholicism to Druidry.
Sometimes dismissed as mere travel memoir, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog is much more. This is book for patrons of the Goddess, Pagans and Christians alike, as well as fans of Ireland and her mythology. In her easy going, conversational style, Patricia shares with her readers personal insights, mingled with vivid storytelling of Celtic myth and mystical places that not only speak to her readers. Her narratives, delivered with such clarity and wit, can make readers long to visit and search those fog shrouded dells and sunlit landscapes of the past for The Morrigan's Cave, the Mountains of Cailleach, the Paps of Anu or the annual ritual of re-lighting Bridgit's sacred flame at Kildare.
Patricia Monaghan writes about her journeys with such resonance and clarity, that her story becomes one of those rare books that enjoys the rare quality of taking her readers along for the journey, accomplishing what only the best writers can. This newest volume is decorated with such imagery, history and spirit that The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog becomes an epistle that enriches the soul and feeds the spirit and one that no Goddesslore library should be without.
The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog, published by New World Library , is available at bookstores, or directly from the publisher by phone at 1-800-972-6657 ext. 52.
For more information about Patricia Monaghan, her work and lecture and tour schedules, you can visit her website located at http://www.altogether.com/patricia/.
Born from the requests of friends for travel recommendations in Ireland, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog is also interspersed with respectful explorations of Irish culture and politics. Through witty anecdotes about her friends and the new people she meets in her travels, Patricia conveys to us the history of a people thousands of years old at once lyrical and modern. Her mindful and understandable accounts of Pagan and Catholic/Protestant viewpoints coupled with historical theory were both comprehensive and compelling to this reader, reminding me of a long time friend, residing in England who surprised many with a seemingly opposite switch from Catholicism to Druidry.
Sometimes dismissed as mere travel memoir, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog is much more. This is book for patrons of the Goddess, Pagans and Christians alike, as well as fans of Ireland and her mythology. In her easy going, conversational style, Patricia shares with her readers personal insights, mingled with vivid storytelling of Celtic myth and mystical places that not only speak to her readers. Her narratives, delivered with such clarity and wit, can make readers long to visit and search those fog shrouded dells and sunlit landscapes of the past for The Morrigan's Cave, the Mountains of Cailleach, the Paps of Anu or the annual ritual of re-lighting Bridgit's sacred flame at Kildare.
Patricia Monaghan writes about her journeys with such resonance and clarity, that her story becomes one of those rare books that enjoys the rare quality of taking her readers along for the journey, accomplishing what only the best writers can. This newest volume is decorated with such imagery, history and spirit that The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog becomes an epistle that enriches the soul and feeds the spirit and one that no Goddesslore library should be without.
The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog, published by New World Library , is available at bookstores, or directly from the publisher by phone at 1-800-972-6657 ext. 52.
For more information about Patricia Monaghan, her work and lecture and tour schedules, you can visit her website located at http://www.altogether.com/patricia/.
April 3, 2009
This is a complex book, and one I come to in stages.
It is both a memoir of a trip to Ireland, and an anthropological study of Irish myths and folkways. Frankly, the author's personal experience gives a charming window to the anthropological content, making it always connected, and never very dry. Monaghan manages to go into some fairly deep analysis of tropes and ideas in Irish myth and legend, but never seeming academic.
I'd recommend this to anyone traveling to Ireland or with Irish roots, it covers a lot of ground without being overbearing.
It is both a memoir of a trip to Ireland, and an anthropological study of Irish myths and folkways. Frankly, the author's personal experience gives a charming window to the anthropological content, making it always connected, and never very dry. Monaghan manages to go into some fairly deep analysis of tropes and ideas in Irish myth and legend, but never seeming academic.
I'd recommend this to anyone traveling to Ireland or with Irish roots, it covers a lot of ground without being overbearing.
July 9, 2009
Fantastic! In Patricia Monaghan's various pilgramages to Ireland, she explores the landscape with dindsheanchas, traditional stories associated with places, many of which I'd never heard of. The ancecdotes she shared of her adventures and people she encounters were interesting. She also includes many insightful commentaries about history and modern issues facing both Ireland and the rest of the world- from ecology and economics, to the survival of language and culture. Her descriptions of the land make you feel like you're there. I can't wait to travel to Ireland!
One critique I do have to give though, is that Monaghan cites a variety of sources, many of which are good but the scholarship of some are questionable. However this is more of a fun, casual read than a scholarly book, but there is a wealth of information here.
I'd also love to see similar books about Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall as well as non-Celtic nations.
One critique I do have to give though, is that Monaghan cites a variety of sources, many of which are good but the scholarship of some are questionable. However this is more of a fun, casual read than a scholarly book, but there is a wealth of information here.
I'd also love to see similar books about Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall as well as non-Celtic nations.
May 13, 2014
I knew I'd love this book when the first page was a map of Ireland, illustrating all the counties. Ms Monaghan thrills me me over and over as she ties names, myths, family history, present day and geography together. I'm so happy to follow her and to be present with her wherever and however she ends up. I remember how my teenage self was once attracted to Travelogues but gave them up quickly when they became more about getting to places rather than about being in them.
Ms Monaghan saves some great moments for a later chapter (p246-7):
"The postmistress bustled us outside. 'We've a Gargan here, looking for her relations.'
'A Gargan then,' came the reply. 'And a red-haired one, like the old woman who was walking to Moybologue Cemetery, fasting wasn't she, and then that big blackberry tempted her, before Saint Patrick came along to put her in her place--well now, we don't tell that old story anymore...'
We stood for the next quarter hour, talking aimlessly and smiling at each other. Later I thought how odd it was to hear, from two people within a few moments, a story perhaps two thousand years old. I thought how odd that both tellers ended the story by denying it was told anymore. I wondered for how many generations the story had been told and denied that way. But that was later. At the moment, I noticed only golden sunshine and low talk and twinkling eyes and breathing green hills."
I breathe deeply at the way the quest of the day gets satisfied.
I'm so glad my Celtic Herb teacher recommended this book. Ireland, anybody?
Ms Monaghan saves some great moments for a later chapter (p246-7):
"The postmistress bustled us outside. 'We've a Gargan here, looking for her relations.'
'A Gargan then,' came the reply. 'And a red-haired one, like the old woman who was walking to Moybologue Cemetery, fasting wasn't she, and then that big blackberry tempted her, before Saint Patrick came along to put her in her place--well now, we don't tell that old story anymore...'
We stood for the next quarter hour, talking aimlessly and smiling at each other. Later I thought how odd it was to hear, from two people within a few moments, a story perhaps two thousand years old. I thought how odd that both tellers ended the story by denying it was told anymore. I wondered for how many generations the story had been told and denied that way. But that was later. At the moment, I noticed only golden sunshine and low talk and twinkling eyes and breathing green hills."
I breathe deeply at the way the quest of the day gets satisfied.
I'm so glad my Celtic Herb teacher recommended this book. Ireland, anybody?
February 21, 2018
This is a very different kind of tour guide. The author takes us on a journey through Ireland, not to see the "usual" tourist attractions but to search out and experience the holy places associated with the mystical sites of Ireland: sacred pools, caves, wells on Celtic holy ground, the places where legends began. It's a beautifully written book that definitely brings to life the countryside, the people she meets, the stories she tells, and the way she relates ancient rites with contemporary issues. I especially related to the blending of the old ways with the new and her description of how Irish Catholicism differed from the rest of the Catholic world by absorbing the old ways. She also made me curious enough about Pelagius to want to learn more about him! A fascinating and interesting journey!
February 26, 2009
Yes - New Age. Yes - off the wall. Yes - my family hasn't been really Irish since the Famine. But still - a good read. And a keen appreciation for how cultural filigrees weave through the generations.
January 16, 2010
Patricia Monaghan writes magick and energy in to The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit. When I read this book I was there atop the hill, feeling the energy, and seeing the mist. Mystical, the very essence of the Celtic spirit.
August 2, 2012
This book changed my life.
March 6, 2009
A truly fascinating book about the mythology of Ireland, from a feminine point of view. I especially appreciated the pronunciation key to various Irish names and places. The dictionary appendix was extremely helpful. I actually read the whole of the dictionary as part of the book reading. The author's experiences on her visits to Ireland were interesting, and interspersed with many asides, thoughts, and poetic verses. I noted that the author is now a citizen of both the USA and Ireland: a very real connection to her ancestral home.
October 5, 2021
A beautiful, wise, fearless, and thoughtful story of a poetical traveler exploring and integrating the landscape, peoples, and myth of her heritage over a period of decades, often at its own pace. I quoted one line to close my mother's eulogy, which I was too choked up to speak entire: "There is more passion in a woman's heart than her body can contain." Thank you, Patricia.
November 12, 2008
Not a great read.
The author writes very well, but I was looking for more myth and legend than one author discovering her Irish past.
The author writes very well, but I was looking for more myth and legend than one author discovering her Irish past.
April 24, 2013
Though I've read mixed reviews of this book, I enjoyed it. The basis of it is that Ms. Monaghan found herself in Ireland one year, chasing her roots, so to speak, and a deep love of the land emerged that had her going back to Ireland, year after year, picking out threads of the ancient Celts stories of the land and the gods/goddesses. She even mentioned some that are near and dear to my heart. *sigh* I, for one, loved it and would like to find more like it.
If I had one criticism of the book, I only wish she'd have included some photographs of the places she mentions in the book. I'd like to have seen what some of the landscapes look like without resorting to Google.
If I had one criticism of the book, I only wish she'd have included some photographs of the places she mentions in the book. I'd like to have seen what some of the landscapes look like without resorting to Google.
February 28, 2012
The description of Ireland in this book is amazing. You can almost breath in the smells and see the sites yourself. It makes you want to walk over the hills and mountains and along the old roads, listening to ancient stories.
March 26, 2012
I LOVE this book! Monaghan is one of my favorite feminist/goddess writers, and this book only cements that for me.
In Red-Haired Girl..., Monaghan tells of mythology and landscape of Ireland and its people. Personal stories woven strategically throughout open the stories up to the reader.
In Red-Haired Girl..., Monaghan tells of mythology and landscape of Ireland and its people. Personal stories woven strategically throughout open the stories up to the reader.
August 25, 2012
This book makes me want to go to Ireland! I read it as a kind of memoir, and I think it definitely helped my enjoyment of it. I really like Monaghan's style of writing and her insights into her experiences.
February 19, 2009
I loved this book. More than anything, the way that Patricia writes makes me WANT to go to Ireland and see for myself. Very real and endearing.
October 12, 2011
Mysterious!
March 21, 2009
Love her work!
November 13, 2014
I've read this book before and LOVED it. I am planning a trip to Ireland and so re-read it.
August 22, 2014
A combination of memoir and history of Irish mythology- the perfect blend.
May 6, 2021
I have no Irish blood running in my veins, but I've always been in love with Ireland and Celtic culture generally. I was blessed to have been able to visit the country in 2000.
I highly recommend this book for all hibernophiles (lovers of things Irish). Patricia Monaghan, takes people on a journey through the ancient and sacred landscape of Ireland, exploring all the different facets and nuances of its myths, legends and culture. Along the way she introduces us to many of the Irish people, who make Ireland what it is today, as well as the characters from Irish myths and legends that for me at least make Ireland such a mysterious and haunting place. My only criticism of the book, is that I would dearly have loved better maps of the counties she visited, not because I want to use it plan my next visit, but if for any reason because I love to follow the writer on his/her journey. I love maps, because they help me in some way visualize where the speaker/writer is. So perhaps Patricia, if you are ever planning a new edition of this book, lots of maps maybe?
Here is a quote from one of my favourite chapters in the book (Chapter 3, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog):
"I call myself an agnostic about fairies because what happens in Ireland's fairy places defies my understanding. Something plays with me, steals from me, gives back to me, answers questions I have not yet even learned to ask. Whether we call this power the Sidhe or elemental powers or god or the universe, it exists to remind us that there is more to this world than our mechanistic philosophy allows. The red-haired girl from the bog is a story of the passion that other world has for us and of our own desperate passion for it."
I highly recommend this book for all hibernophiles (lovers of things Irish). Patricia Monaghan, takes people on a journey through the ancient and sacred landscape of Ireland, exploring all the different facets and nuances of its myths, legends and culture. Along the way she introduces us to many of the Irish people, who make Ireland what it is today, as well as the characters from Irish myths and legends that for me at least make Ireland such a mysterious and haunting place. My only criticism of the book, is that I would dearly have loved better maps of the counties she visited, not because I want to use it plan my next visit, but if for any reason because I love to follow the writer on his/her journey. I love maps, because they help me in some way visualize where the speaker/writer is. So perhaps Patricia, if you are ever planning a new edition of this book, lots of maps maybe?
Here is a quote from one of my favourite chapters in the book (Chapter 3, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog):
"I call myself an agnostic about fairies because what happens in Ireland's fairy places defies my understanding. Something plays with me, steals from me, gives back to me, answers questions I have not yet even learned to ask. Whether we call this power the Sidhe or elemental powers or god or the universe, it exists to remind us that there is more to this world than our mechanistic philosophy allows. The red-haired girl from the bog is a story of the passion that other world has for us and of our own desperate passion for it."
August 26, 2018
"I have news for you: spring comes everywhere with sweetness and hope. Summer's fullness becomes harvest, then the world sleeps through a dark time. This is only truth: that just as Ireland is sacred, so all land is sacred, as we are all sacred. This is my news."
I have never read anything by Monaghan before, and I picked this book up on a total whim. The title caught my eye at my local library and I have been reading a lot about Norse mythology and Celtic traditions. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the writing is in this book. It feels like I'm sitting at a table hearing these stories over dinner and drinks. Its so laid back while being incredibly informative. I love that this is more a journey about finding her history than discussing history and myth.
I highly recommend this read for anything interested in the myths and environment of Ireland. The beautiful landscape and stories so deeply rooted in the land.
I have never read anything by Monaghan before, and I picked this book up on a total whim. The title caught my eye at my local library and I have been reading a lot about Norse mythology and Celtic traditions. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the writing is in this book. It feels like I'm sitting at a table hearing these stories over dinner and drinks. Its so laid back while being incredibly informative. I love that this is more a journey about finding her history than discussing history and myth.
I highly recommend this read for anything interested in the myths and environment of Ireland. The beautiful landscape and stories so deeply rooted in the land.
August 23, 2018
I love Monaghan’s writing style and her way with stories and words. While this one is good and well-written, it is my least favorite of hers and is not nearly as engrossing as some of her others (I might not have been in the fully right frame of mind to read this book though). I especially liked how she wove together old stories with present-moment experiencing and local sharing of the lore. She has just the right touch of mysticism in her experiences too. Not over the top, but just enough that you can feel/share the ripple of enchantment through the everyday.
January 17, 2021
Monaghan's storytelling absolutely floored me, captured my imagination, and tied Celtic knots all through my County Clare heritage. A very intriguing element mentioned in the book was the legend of Tir na Nog, an island of giant trees, salmon, and "fairies" (or some other kind of spirit) said to lay in the far west. To draw any conclusions would be downright paranoid, yet the similarities to Vancouver Island (where I live now and where I read the book) gave me goosebumps.
November 5, 2020
I fell in love with Ireland on a trip there last summer, and Patricia Monaghan took me back in this beautifully written exploration of Celtic folklore and spirituality. Once more I felt like I was driving down a narrow lane through fifty shades of green, sipping a pint in a cozy pub, or standing reverently at Brigit’s well. A perfect pandemic getaway!
January 30, 2022
Great ending. I have news for you: spring comes everywhere with sweetness and hope. Summer's fullness becomes harvest, then the world sleeps through a dark time. This is the only truth: that just as Ireland is sacred, so all land is sacred, as we are all sacred. This is my news.
October 29, 2019
Learned a lot, would read again.
March 27, 2023
In which an American looks for her spiritual roots in Ireland, visiting various fairy wells, monuments and ancient sites. I can only give a review of the first 78 pages. It's here she tells a story of how she got drunk with a group of friends and then together, attacked hares at night with a car. The next morning she came downstairs and screamed when she saw a dead hare hanging in the kitchen, being bled.
Monaghan finds the whole episode hilarious. Nobody 'can remember' who was driving the car, or who hung the hare. She flippantly quips it was a good job that nobody else was on the road that night. Yes, I imagine it was. Then again, I've met one family who were devastated by clowns behaving like Monaghan and her friends. A young man in that case was needlessly killed by immature, selfish behaviour.
As to the hare victim of the drunken sport. I've occasionally come across rabbits lying half dead having been hit by a car: a rarity to find, but not so if a group of callous drunks turn animal-ramming into a deliberate blood sport. What of the animal which escapes such a hit and then hides low, to suffer a slow death?
What struck me as remarkable about her anecdote is the complete lack of compassion for the animal, even in late middle age. I say middle age by the photo of her on the back of her book. Likewise, she has no sense of contrition or regret. Most people would hide such past cowardly behaviour and reserve it for quiet embarrassed reflection. Not so with Monaghan. This is her ongoing 'party piece' which she delivers to other people for fun.
Where I come from, vermin is taken out with a .22 at the back of the head. It's called showing respect for your quarry and it's done responsibly, with a sober head. Honor and thanks is then given to the animal for its meat.
Leafing through the pages of Monaghan's book I get the impression she continues with her tour of Ireland, writing her book, visiting countless tourists' haunts. Monaghan puts much research into making lists of deities and myths, but for me she lacked genuine respect for Natura, including her animals. When it comes to feminism & neopaganism, I'll return to other spiritual elders, such as Barbara Mor, Clarissa Estés and Joan Nestlé.
Monaghan finds the whole episode hilarious. Nobody 'can remember' who was driving the car, or who hung the hare. She flippantly quips it was a good job that nobody else was on the road that night. Yes, I imagine it was. Then again, I've met one family who were devastated by clowns behaving like Monaghan and her friends. A young man in that case was needlessly killed by immature, selfish behaviour.
As to the hare victim of the drunken sport. I've occasionally come across rabbits lying half dead having been hit by a car: a rarity to find, but not so if a group of callous drunks turn animal-ramming into a deliberate blood sport. What of the animal which escapes such a hit and then hides low, to suffer a slow death?
What struck me as remarkable about her anecdote is the complete lack of compassion for the animal, even in late middle age. I say middle age by the photo of her on the back of her book. Likewise, she has no sense of contrition or regret. Most people would hide such past cowardly behaviour and reserve it for quiet embarrassed reflection. Not so with Monaghan. This is her ongoing 'party piece' which she delivers to other people for fun.
Where I come from, vermin is taken out with a .22 at the back of the head. It's called showing respect for your quarry and it's done responsibly, with a sober head. Honor and thanks is then given to the animal for its meat.
Leafing through the pages of Monaghan's book I get the impression she continues with her tour of Ireland, writing her book, visiting countless tourists' haunts. Monaghan puts much research into making lists of deities and myths, but for me she lacked genuine respect for Natura, including her animals. When it comes to feminism & neopaganism, I'll return to other spiritual elders, such as Barbara Mor, Clarissa Estés and Joan Nestlé.
January 9, 2011
This is the story of a journey, a seeking, a telling. It is the story of connections between now and THEN. It is the story of searching Ireland, looking at the old Gaelic stories and ways, the early Christian Church stories and ways, and the Irish character.
If you believe in what she is saying, this is probably interesting, but it was just a little too...much for me.
If you believe in what she is saying, this is probably interesting, but it was just a little too...much for me.
November 18, 2014
This is a travelogue through the ancient holy sites of Ireland, written by a witch. At least, I think that's what it is. I know it's amazing. Patricia writes beautifully. She weaves together modern Ireland, myth, personal story, politics, feminism and modern witchcraft into a seamless whole. I was completely taken in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews