Irish Folklore and Folklife

This course introduces students to the main topics of Irish folklore study.

We read and listen to samples of verbal art: folk narratives, proverbs, jokes, songs, and onomastic lore, and we investigate the evidence of folklife, including popular religion, work and play, seasonal festivals, and fairy lore.

Our main goal is to assemble a rich and detailed picture of life in rural, traditional Irish communities in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.