Book Description

Belief in the existence of a parallel world and in otherworldly phenomena has long been established in Irish tradition, and facets of such belief continue to be found in contemporary Irish society. This book, with two accompanying compact discs, examines aspects of the enduring fascination the Irish imagination has with supernatural beings, encounters, and occurrences, as represented in song and music. The material contained in this publication, which includes recorded sound, photographs, and manuscript transcriptions, is drawn from National Folklore Collection/Cnuasach Bhealoideas Eireann at University College Dublin. The book addresses a number of illuminating aspects of popular tradition, such as: the connection between the supernatural and excellence in the performance of music and song * the dangers inherent in engaging with the fairies * the fear of abduction or loss * benign supernatural encounters * the existence of otherworldly creatures * the physical landscape, as perceived in inherited oral knowledge. There are encounters that reflect the blending of Christian and non-Christian ideas. The inclusion of contemporary performers alongside older archival material is testament to the fact that the National Folklore Collection continues to grow and remains the most important repository of Irish vernacular culture. The songs, music, and lore contained here are the foundation stone upon which the book rests, and the selected examples are illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs. There can be little doubt that the full spectrum of human experience is better comprehended with an understanding of traditional lore and belief. The Otherworld: Music & Song from Irish Tradition addresses an important aspect of that human experience and seeks to encourage just such an engagement. It is a book for both the general reader and scholars of folklore. (Series: Scribhinni Bealoidis / Folklore Studies - Vol. 21) *** "The book itself boasts an endlessly informative text and many resonant photographs of singers, musicians, collectors and -- most of all -- landscape features. The last of these record Ireland's unsettling countryside, home to fairies, banshees and ghosts, and serve to set already evocative songs and tunes in places that are of, at once, this world and the otherworld. If there is another compilation like this one, I have never heard of it, and I doubt that it could be as stimulating as this one, a unique and (almost literally) haunting excursion into mystery and melody." - Jerome Clark, Rambles.Net, May 18, 2013 *** "This remarkable book with its breathtaking old photos (and two magical CDs) offers Irish traditional music and song associated with fairies of the Otherworld... Material was gleaned from all over Ireland, and not just from professional musicians; most was collected from islanders, urbanites, farmers, students, teachers and Travellers... Most songs are sung a cappella, and most instrumentalists perform solo, offering intense listening experiences, as jigs, waltzes, laments, dirges, and recitations chronicle legends, local history, religion, and supernatural happenings." - The Celtic Connection, June 2013~