Irish folklore

Kelebogile Mbangi · Post by **Kelebogile Mbangi** » 15 Mar 2020, 03:46

I love books where I can learn more about a culture, its people, and their customs and believes. After reading all the comments under this discussion, I think this might be a book I want to read. I've read about The Great Famine but would like to know even more about it and how it affected the Irish. Sounds like a great book overall.

KDJ · Post by **KDJ** » 15 Mar 2020, 09:49

AntonelaMaria wrote: ↑01 Mar 2020, 05:06 What Irish characters, myths or parts of folklore you like the best? Is that part of the story that you think compliments the book well? Is that something that you knew before or if it made you more curious about it?

I knew about rich Irish history in general but I didn’t know much about it. This book made me want to learn more. I liked how the author put all the details with mystery plotline. It made it even more interesting. Even though the parts about Great Famine were the hardest to read I liked to read about it. Even though all the myths are fascinating I also find them all very scary. So it seems appropriate to put them in a murder mystery book.

The parts about the great hunger is what really interested me. Ghost and the sad lady pushing people down stairs, while a little interesting, wasn't as real as the the great hunger parts. It made me want to investigate it more and learn about it. I was never that interested in history before, but recently I have really gotten into it. And also the parts about people possibly being buried under the roadway where the died.

PetraWelch · Post by **PetraWelch** » 15 Mar 2020, 15:38

I don’t know much about Irish folklore but I have always been interested in Will-o’-the-Wisps, the often malevolent spirits seeking to lure travellers to their deaths. A myth that seems fitting for this type of eerie story.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 16 Mar 2020, 09:00

MirageP wrote: ↑13 Mar 2020, 11:04
AntonelaMaria wrote: ↑01 Mar 2020, 05:06 What Irish characters, myths or parts of folklore you like the best? Is that part of the story that you think compliments the book well? Is that something that you knew before or if it made you more curious about it?

I knew about rich Irish history in general but I didn’t know much about it. This book made me want to learn more. I liked how the author put all the details with mystery plotline. It made it even more interesting. Even though the parts about Great Famine were the hardest to read I liked to read about it. Even though all the myths are fascinating I also find them all very scary. So it seems appropriate to put them in a murder mystery book.
I did not know much about Irish history, and loved that aspect of the book. In fact, I think the author should have left out the murder altogether (there was nothing mysterious about it) and written this book as general fiction or women's fiction. Irish folklore and Claire were the only saving graces of this book.

That is an interesting idea and I don't mind it at all. I could imagine this book being excellent without the murders too.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 16 Mar 2020, 09:02

Kelebogile Mbangi wrote: ↑15 Mar 2020, 03:46 I love books where I can learn more about a culture, its people, and their customs and believes. After reading all the comments under this discussion, I think this might be a book I want to read. I've read about The Great Famine but would like to know even more about it and how it affected the Irish. Sounds like a great book overall.

I love those kinds of books too. Well, I hope you read it and enjoyed it too.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 16 Mar 2020, 09:05

KDJ wrote: ↑15 Mar 2020, 09:49
AntonelaMaria wrote: ↑01 Mar 2020, 05:06 What Irish characters, myths or parts of folklore you like the best? Is that part of the story that you think compliments the book well? Is that something that you knew before or if it made you more curious about it?

I knew about rich Irish history in general but I didn’t know much about it. This book made me want to learn more. I liked how the author put all the details with mystery plotline. It made it even more interesting. Even though the parts about Great Famine were the hardest to read I liked to read about it. Even though all the myths are fascinating I also find them all very scary. So it seems appropriate to put them in a murder mystery book.

The parts about the great hunger is what really interested me. Ghost and the sad lady pushing people down stairs, while a little interesting, wasn't as real as the the great hunger parts. It made me want to investigate it more and learn about it. I was never that interested in history before, but recently I have really gotten into it. And also the parts about people possibly being buried under the roadway where the died.

I fall in and out of love with history books over the years. I liked this one just fine. It wasn't perfect but it had some really excellent parts. I agree about the Great Hunger. Oh I forgot the Ghost lady, yeah that was interesting too.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 16 Mar 2020, 09:12

Herbstlicht wrote: ↑09 Mar 2020, 04:43 I remember reading "Angela's ashes" more than a decade ago and I knew that it will be a story I will carry around with me forever. I was reminded of this fascination with the Irish melancholy when I started to read House of Eire.

History provokes sadness, just like well written stories.

It is more of a melancholy than sadness for me. I haven't read Frank McCord's memoir but it seems like a book you have to be in the mood for.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 16 Mar 2020, 09:13

LinaMueller wrote: ↑10 Mar 2020, 12:54
I grew up in an area with a large Irish community, so I learned about the Claddagh ring tradition. Prior to reading this book, did you know about Claddagh rings?
Can you elaborate a little more, Josephe-Anne?

I would like that too! I don't know much about the ring.

praise+anyi · Post by **praise+anyi** » 16 Mar 2020, 13:26

The Irish culture, their history & fearful myths are actually a new thing to me because I don't know anything about them. Reading them in this book was a beautiful experience for me because it felt so real, even though there supposed 'famine' (The Great Hunger) was really devastating & heart breaking. Truly, all these brought out the beauty of this book.

En+kay · Post by **En+kay** » 16 Mar 2020, 15:46

Ireland is a land of intrigues, folklore history. The people have a rich culture dating as far back as one can remember. The author puts it's in such an interesting manner as to make want to visit and explore the sights

Cynthia_Oluchi · Post by **Cynthia_Oluchi** » 16 Mar 2020, 16:10

I knew just very little about Irish folklore before I read the book. The ghost stories were very fear-inspiring, but captivating at the same time.

Namaste23 · Post by **Namaste23** » 16 Mar 2020, 20:33

I don't know much about Irish folklore, but I like all the ghost stories that were included in the book. I don't know if the Irish are really that superstitious in real life, but it gave the book a spooky vibe.

spencermack · Post by **spencermack** » 17 Mar 2020, 10:26

Irish folklore doesn't seem to be as well known as many other cultures' stories. However, they are equally as intriguing. lOVE THAT THEY ARE PUT INTO A MURDER MYSTERY BOOK AND i AGREE THAT THIS BOOK MADE ME WANT TO LEARN MORE!

SophiaNd · Post by **SophiaNd** » 17 Mar 2020, 13:51

A famine is never a good experience but the ghost scenes, now that was the spice of this book for me.

Purti10 · Post by **Purti10** » 17 Mar 2020, 18:08

I had very little knowledge of Irish history. But I got to know so much by reading this book. I searched more about the Irish famine and other stories after completing this book and was astounded to read about their struggle.