Snátha den Seansaol / Strands of Traditional Life
Aistí ar bhéaloideas an Bhlascaoid agus na míntíre /
Essays on Blasket and mainland folklore
Pádraig Ó Héalaí
RRP: €24.95
Price for book including P&P: €27.00
Paperback, c.550pp, illustrations
Publication date: September 2022
ISBN: 9781999896874
Cad é ról an bhéaloidis sa tsochaí thraidisiúnta in Éirinn? Conas a mhúnlaigh seantuiscintí saol an phobail?
Sa bhailiúchán aistí seo a chuimsíonn cuid mhaith de réimsí a spéise léinn, déanann an scoláire béaloidis, Pádraig Ó Héalaí, plé ar ghnéithe éagsúla de thraidisiún na tíre seo agus tugtar éachtaint ar anáil an bhéaloidis ar shaol na nglúnta romhainn – go háirithe ar an mBlascaod.
Ó thuiscintí bainteach le hiompar clainne, caidreamh tuistí lena leanaí, go dtí ról na draíochta i leigheas na muintire, finscéalta a chothaíonn claontuiscintí faoin lucht siúil – cuirtear i láthair anseo raon fairsing den mheon agus de chleachtais a bhain leis an seansaol.
Bunaithe go príomha ar fhianaise bhailiúchán Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, roinnt freisin ar scríbhinní an Bhlascaoid, agus i gcásanna áirithe, ar obair pháirce an údair, maille le léaráidí, osclaíonn Snátha den Seansaol fuinneog ar an mbéaloideas ag feidhmiú sa phobal agus soilsíonn sé domhan atá imithe as cuid mhór.
Cuimsíonn gach aiste Ghaeilge achomaireacht i mBéarla leis an údar.
What was the role of folklore in traditional Irish life? How do age-old beliefs shape a society?
In this collection of essays the folklore scholar Pádraig Ó Héalaí explores diverse aspects of Irish tradition and how these underpinned the lives of multiple generations – particularly on the Blasket Islands but also in traditional communities across the country.
From attitudes to pregnancy on the Great Blasket, parents’ relationship with their children, to the role of magic in folk medicine, and prejudice towards Travellers in Irish legends – here we have a comprehensive overview of fascinating, often long-forgotten, beliefs and practices.
Based on source material in the National Folklore Collection, writings from the Blaskets and the author’s own fieldwork, with accompanying illustrations, Snátha den Seansaol gives a snapshot of the functioning of folklore in traditional Irish communities, a diorama of a largely vanished world.
Each Irish essay includes an abstract in English by the author.
Pádraig Ó Héalaí: Ar scor le roinnt blianta óna phost mar Léachtóir Sinsearach i Scoil na Gaeilge, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe. Béaloideas na tíre seo a shainréimse léinn, agus tá foilseacháin iomadúla aige ar an ábhar sin. Tá spéis faoi leith aige i scéalta cráifeacha, in oidhreacht an Bhlascaoid agus i dtraidisiúin faoin osnádúr. Is iareagarthóir é ar an iris Béaloideas agus comheagarthóir ar shaothair eile, ina measc, le Bo Almqvist, dhá imleabhar de thaifeadtaí ó Pheig Sayers.
Pádraig Ó Héalaí is a retired Senior Lecturer in Modern Irish at the University of Galway. His area of specialisation is Irish folklore and he has published on many aspects of this topic, including religious tradition, Blasket heritage and beliefs and practices associated with the supernatural. He is a former editor of the journal Béaloideas and co-editor of other works, including, with Bo Almqvist, two volumes of transcripts of recordings of Peig Sayers.