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Full Description
From the author of the hugely successful book Legendary Ireland, The Turning of the Year explores the Celtic division of the year, from Samhain to Imbolc, to Bealtaine, to Lunasa, back to Samhain. It examines the significance of particular times of the year and features re-tellings of various legends associated with them. The book will look at the close connection of the Irish with the land and with nature, bringing us on an exhilarating journey through the Irish seasons and the customs that welcomed each one in turn.
Along the way we encounter saints, scholars, kings and goddesses, whose stories, preserved in myth and folktale, counterpoint the book's exploration both of lost traditions such as keening and how other customs and rituals have been preserved in today's celebrations and communal events. It brings to the reader a new awareness of how such ritual can still have relevance in our lives, and a deeper appreciation of the power of the natural world.
Contents
The Dagda's Harp page 9
Introduction 13
SAMHAIN 29
The Year Begins 30
The Monster's Story: Fionn Comes to Tara 31
The Skaldcrow's Story: Nera in the Otherworld 47
The Messenger's Story: The Magic Mantle 71
Interval: Bog Time, Bog Lore 80
IMBOLG 89
The First Day of Spring 90
The River's Story: Boann 92
The Fox's Story: Brighid's Bargain 106
The Saint's Story: St Kevin and the Blackbird 121
Interval: Forest Time, Forest Lore 128
BEALTAINE 144
Summer Season 145
The Cat and Dog's Story: The Horned Women 147
The Publican's Story: The Púca 165
The Fieldmouse's Story: Seán the Piper 174
Interval: The Time of Pastures
and of Fields 194
LUGHNASA 203
Fairs, Festivals and Harvest 204
The King's Story: How Setanta Was Named 206
The Wolfhound's Story: The Birth of Bran 238
The Forest's Story: Suibhne 249
Afterword 255
The Music of What Happens 261
Bibliography 263
Credits 270
