Irish Customs and Rituals: How Our Ancestors Celebrated Life and the Seasons

by Marion McGarry

From the author of The Irish Cottage comes a new book, exploring old Irish customs and beliefs. Chapters focus on the quarter-day festivities that marked the commencement of each season: ‘Spring: Imbolc’; ‘Summer: Bealtaine’; ‘Autumn: Lughnasa’ and ‘Winter: Samhain’, and also major life events – ‘Births, Marriages and Death Customs’ – and general beliefs in ‘Spirituality and Well-Being’ and ‘The Supernatural’.

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

170 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Sorcha Ní Bhraoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and set out. It focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries so if you're looking for older material, go to her references and work backwards. Some crazy superstitions are explored, some of which my grandparents lived by. So many magic wells, magic apples, magic cows, magic trees that really translated to a veneration of nature. It's a shame how those belief systems were almost obliterated. I'm enjoying the revival though.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10. Not gonna lie, I was mildly disappointed by this book. I went in expecting a deeper exploration of Ireland’s pre-Christian past, with Christianity taking more of a secondary role (more of a background thing). Instead, the book leaned heavily toward Christian themes, which felt a bit off from what I was hoping for. I’m not saying Christianity isn’t an essential part of Irish culture (it absolutely is), but I was expecting more research and depth on the rich pagan and Celtic heritage. That said, it’s still a decent read, just not quite what I was looking for.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful survey of seasonal and holiday traditions found around Ireland. While not accounting for all variance between regions, this slim volume contains a wealth of information. (I'm very reminded of Danaher's "The Year in Ireland".) Most of the information is about Christian practices, but there's a fair bit about the older, probably pagan roots behind some of the holidays, more for some than others. (Imbolc/St. Bridget's feast day, a fair bit. Christmas, not so much.) The author doesn't shy away from some of the uglier parts of cultural tradition, like the tremendous pressure to marry and the ritualized communal shaming of single people, but she also covers many happier topics as well, and I appreciate her presentation of the good and the bad alike.

[Máiréad Deacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5 rounded to a 4. Very informative, an interesting quick read, particularly in understanding how our ancestors celebrated and lived their lives in synchrony with the seasons. There were a few spots where it looked like it could have benefited from an editor, and I’d have loved if there was even more explanation perhaps on how there might be more modern day explanations for why certain superstitions were held (discussed when talking about how they had their own version of Penicillin essentially before it was discovered).

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely love how superstitious my people are. Especially struck by the fact that widows / beggars were thought to be capable of casting evil spells on people which in turn ended up giving them slightly more power in society even as the technical lowest of the low because people were extra nice to them to avoid being cursed

[Aideen G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this, but unfortunately not the book I thought it was going to be. Very much scrapes the surface, and very much focussed on the catholic adoption of irish customs and rituals than the actual roots? Not a bad book, but it feels a bit entry level.

[Peridot (Faith) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and an easy read. A couple of things were left out that I felt should have been included (i.e. - Yule/winter solstice, handfasting, the author's use of the oxford comma). Overall, definitely recommend. I ended up annotating mine as I went.

[Emma Ludlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview and reference guide to Irish customs and rituals. Some I had heard of before, others not. Quite a few crazy ones in there which makes you wonder who came up with these! But I may try a few at some point.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible & interesting!

[Guiomar]

Candelas, espigas, abejas, varas de almendro, fortuna, mayo, gansos

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book! I purchased this book in a quaint little book shop in Clifden, Ireland. It is a good book to read if you want to learn more about Irish history, folklore, culture, and beliefs.

[Emily Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a foreigner it was a nice book to read. It wasn't super in-depth, but if you wanted more information, the author cites her sources well and it is easy to follow them to learn more.

[Sandra Cano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5.

[Aimee McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched and accessible account of Irish tradition and superstitions. I would highly recommend to any one interested in learning more about this topic

[cliodhna‎ ✩˚₊‧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lot of the information was very surface level, would've liked for it to dive a bit deeper. the illustrations were adorable though