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Birth, Marriage and Death Among the Irish #1
Death and the Irish: A Miscellany
As a race, the Irish have the reputation of "doing death well". Taking its cue from this somewhat dubious distinction, this volume explores the relationship of the Irish people with death from the earliest times to the present day. In over seventy articles, it gathers together the expertise of historians, archaeologists, folklorists, sociologists, geographers, Celtic Studies scholars, dramatists, anthropologists, musicologists, theologians, liturgists, undertakers and palliative care specialists, in a wide-ranging and lavishly-illustrated collection, which is, at times, as humorous as it is poignant.
Among the topics treated in this anthology is the the Galway girl who was buried with her horse in the fifth or sixth century; the account of the curious death of a little-known Irish saint in medieval Norway; the Black Death in Kilkenny; death and sexual transgression in medieval Ireland; grisly deaths from the Irish annals; the funerary monuments of clerical wives in early modern Ireland; the forgotten Connacht massacre of 1647; a seventeenth-century Belfast ghost story; an Irish story of cannibalism on the high seas; the records of an Offaly coroner during the Great Famine; the Derry ghost who imparted information on the missing Franklin expedition in the Arctic in 1849; Jewish burial customs in nineteenth-century Ireland; death and Irish freemasonry; the Irishman whose body was shipped back to Ireland from Italy in an upright piano; death in Irish folklore; the history of children's burial grounds in Ireland; the ritual of tobacco use at Irish wakes; memorial cards and Irish funerary culture; death in Irish sermons; funeral rites among the Irish Travelling community; death and dying in contemporary Irish pagan belief; the link between commemoration of the dead and humour; deathbed visions; attitudes towards death and dying in modern Ireland, including the impact of social media on the culture of commemorating the dead.
This collection will be an indispensable resource for anyone with an interest in the social, cultural and religious history of the Irish.
Among the topics treated in this anthology is the the Galway girl who was buried with her horse in the fifth or sixth century; the account of the curious death of a little-known Irish saint in medieval Norway; the Black Death in Kilkenny; death and sexual transgression in medieval Ireland; grisly deaths from the Irish annals; the funerary monuments of clerical wives in early modern Ireland; the forgotten Connacht massacre of 1647; a seventeenth-century Belfast ghost story; an Irish story of cannibalism on the high seas; the records of an Offaly coroner during the Great Famine; the Derry ghost who imparted information on the missing Franklin expedition in the Arctic in 1849; Jewish burial customs in nineteenth-century Ireland; death and Irish freemasonry; the Irishman whose body was shipped back to Ireland from Italy in an upright piano; death in Irish folklore; the history of children's burial grounds in Ireland; the ritual of tobacco use at Irish wakes; memorial cards and Irish funerary culture; death in Irish sermons; funeral rites among the Irish Travelling community; death and dying in contemporary Irish pagan belief; the link between commemoration of the dead and humour; deathbed visions; attitudes towards death and dying in modern Ireland, including the impact of social media on the culture of commemorating the dead.
This collection will be an indispensable resource for anyone with an interest in the social, cultural and religious history of the Irish.
- GenresDeath
300 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Salvador Ryan
26 books3 followersSalvador Ryan is a native of Moneygall, County Offaly. After attending secondary school at the CBS school, Roscrea, County Tipperary, he studied Irish and History at National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and Theology at St Patrick's College, Maynooth.
In 2003 he graduated with a PhD from the Department of History on the topic of "Popular Religion in Gaelic Ireland, 1445-1645". In 2008 he was appointed Professor of Ecclesiastical History at St Patrick's College, Maynooth where he teaches courses in the History of Christianity.
He has published widely in the areas of popular religion and ritual in the later Middle Ages and early modern periods, in both academic journals and edited book collections, but equally enjoys writing for a general readership and presenting to a wide variety of groups who have an interest in the history of religion.
In his spare time, he enjoys travel, all racket sports, and is an avid follower of hurling.
He is married with a young family and lives in Thurles, County Tipperary.
In 2003 he graduated with a PhD from the Department of History on the topic of "Popular Religion in Gaelic Ireland, 1445-1645". In 2008 he was appointed Professor of Ecclesiastical History at St Patrick's College, Maynooth where he teaches courses in the History of Christianity.
He has published widely in the areas of popular religion and ritual in the later Middle Ages and early modern periods, in both academic journals and edited book collections, but equally enjoys writing for a general readership and presenting to a wide variety of groups who have an interest in the history of religion.
In his spare time, he enjoys travel, all racket sports, and is an avid follower of hurling.
He is married with a young family and lives in Thurles, County Tipperary.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 25, 2023
With tons of short pieces of an average of three pages everyone will find something here to educate and entertain.
Pieces range from The Annals to a modern undertakers comments. A lot of it has religion in the story and most of the items will make you think.
The piece on the “memory cards” as well as “funerals in the 1950s” give us great insights into recent history.
The contrasting funerals of two presidents show us Ireland “growing up”.
I doubt every reader will like every piece but you will enjoy more than you skip over.
Pieces range from The Annals to a modern undertakers comments. A lot of it has religion in the story and most of the items will make you think.
The piece on the “memory cards” as well as “funerals in the 1950s” give us great insights into recent history.
The contrasting funerals of two presidents show us Ireland “growing up”.
I doubt every reader will like every piece but you will enjoy more than you skip over.
Displaying 1 of 1 review