Irish folklore

Use this forum to discuss the March 2020 Book of the month, "House of Eire" by June Gillam.
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Mandy Males Cole
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Re: Irish folklore

Post by Mandy Males Cole »

I appreciate how the author interspersed Irish history and lore throughout the story. I knew about the castles and ghosts, but that's about it. The idea that people starved and were pushed into nearby ditches is hear-wrenching. Between reading this book, and watching Outlander, I'm very interested in visiting the British Isles after this COVID thing is under control.
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Post by SunVixen »

Anirudh Badri wrote: 09 Mar 2020, 08:26 I especially enjoy reading stories about the Tuatha Dennaan as they are an interesting pantheon. They are far more human and prone to mistakes and even death as opposed to the eternal gods of others.
In my opinion, Irish legends about Tuatha Dé Danann and Sídhe are the most interesting.
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Post by Misael Carlos »

I am always fascinated with history and Irish history seemed to be lush and rich with culture as unique as the people.
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Post by Thehorselover »

I think the folklore compliments the book well- I did t know hardly anything beforehand about their legends, so that made the book more interesting for me. I love learning facts through fiction.
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Post by Kevsona »

I found the gost stories very interesting as part of the story, and the famine was heartbreaking to read about it.
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Post by AlexisLib »

I enjoyed this aspect of the book. I also really loved the author's descriptive details, especially in the settings in Ireland. It really felt like she captured the flavor of these areas and I could imagine them easily. Loved the parts about Yeats and the tower; I want to find out more about that and look for pictures. I wouldn't have minded more details about the ghost stories. I'm glad to know from other commenters that her stories were historically accurate; impressive.
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AlexisLib
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Post by AlexisLib »

kdstrack wrote: 20 Mar 2020, 19:31 The Great Famine and the ghost stories were familiar. The aspect I want to look into was mentioned in Chapter 6: "the sacrifice of Irish kings into boggy waters." This phrase intrigued me to learn more about the history of Ireland. I thought the author did a good job of dropping these historical nuggets throughout the story.
I am curious about this too! And I agree, she did a great job of weaving these nuggets into and throughout the story without it being overwhelming or dry.
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Post by Hester3 »

I had some background knowledge about Irish folklore and specifically the great hunger, and the roll potatoes played in it. I really enjoyed the ghost stories!
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Post by Mindi »

I have always wanted to travel to Ireland. The folklore seems interesting and it seems like a beautiful place. I have to admit, I have been doing some research on Ireland since I read the book.
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

B Creech wrote: 02 Mar 2020, 15:34 I didn't know much about Irish Folklore until I read this book. I found it very interesting. The ghost stories added to the story, and the famine was heartbreaking to read about.
I echo your sentiments in every regard. My exposure to Irish folklore had clearly been somewhat limited, and famines (while historically realistic and relevant) are never easy to fully accept, but we all love a good ghost story, so it was an ideal balance of all in this tale!
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Post by Brenda Creech »

AvidBibliophile wrote: 06 Apr 2020, 18:06
B Creech wrote: 02 Mar 2020, 15:34 I didn't know much about Irish Folklore until I read this book. I found it very interesting. The ghost stories added to the story, and the famine was heartbreaking to read about.
I echo your sentiments in every regard. My exposure to Irish folklore had clearly been somewhat limited, and famines (while historically realistic and relevant) are never easy to fully accept, but we all love a good ghost story, so it was an ideal balance of all in this tale!
Yes, I thought the author did an outstanding job. She obviously did her research and that makes a big difference in a book. I would love to find some books with pictures so I could really get into reading about Ireland!
B. Creech
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Post by Sonasteve »

I knew nothing about Irish history, in general I didn’t know anything about it. This book made me
learn more about the Irish culture. I liked how the author put all the details .
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Post by JoyALB »

This is quite a fascinating addition to what appears to be an interesting story. I have not yet read the book but I am looking forward to reading it and seeing how this history fits into the story.
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Post by ohlendorfbe »

Amid the ghost stories and famine, which I loved reading about, I was also intrigued by the beauty and strong history elements involved in this story. Parts of it were almost like a travelogue for Ireland. I really loved this aspect of the book!
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Post by AnxiousSocks »

Irish folklore is fascinating! There are so many layers, pain and pride in the history of Ireland. So cool that this book includes this.
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