BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Appalachia Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Mythology

One of the best books I have ever bought for myself is Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Mythology.

I have a Celtic heart and anything about Ireland, ancient or present, is of great interest to me. Throughout the Appalachian regions, some of the first settlers in the 1600's were Celtic Irish or Scottish peoples.

After the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s there came a huge surge in Irish immigration. With them came the beloved mythology of ancient Ireland.

I have just begun reading the book and it is fascinating to read of the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the gods of Dana, who invaded Ireland and battled with the Firbolgs, the Men of the Bag, whose king was Eochaid, son of Eric. The Firbolgs were in Ireland long before the Tuatha de Danaan. Eochaid had dreamed that a strong enemy was to come against him and his kingdom.

Has anyone else read this book? If so, I would love to hear your views on it.

Phyllis I too enjoy Celtic mythology. I have heard of Lady Gregory (she was a patron of the poet W B Yeats) but have not read the book.

I grew up with fiction authors that drew on echoes of older mythologies including Lucy M Boston, Susan Cooper, Alan Garner, C S Lewis, Penelope Lively and J R R Tolkien.

Hello Asha, thanks for stopping by. We have much in common on our reading interests. I can immerse myself in ancient mythology for hours. It is a good place to be when an escape from the daily routines are needed.

William B. Yeats wrote the Preface to Lady Gregory's book. Yeats is one of my favorite authors.

I too like Yeats Phyllis. He was one of the poets I studied as part of my English degree. The level of analysis required for that type of study put me off some authors, but I found myself getting a wider and deeper appreciation of Yeats.

I so appreciate the creativity and writings of the classics like Yeats and those in his era. Robert Burns and Oscar Wilde are also on my list of the best.

I appreciated Yeats so much more when I found a quote of his that confirmed a life long belief of my father and myself: "You will with the Banshee chat and find she is good at heart." I have used that quote a few times in articles.

Great quote Phyllis. It is so easy to see the ogre before acknowledging the heart...

Robert Burns is on my list for Scottish Culture articles. Oscar Wilde is Irish, so can't quite claim him for English Culture, though I might be able to swing that one if looking at where he wrote a lot of his work, and titles such as The Ballad of Reading Jail... I've always enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest - a very English play, even if penned by an Irish writer...

Oscar Wilde spent quite some time in England, didn't he? I love his "Happy Prince" story. The little sparrow was so compassionate and giving.

I have a custom I started many years ago. I call it "A day with Robert Burns." (or Yeats, Wilde, Poe, Dickinson, Browning, etc.) and spend the whole day reading and researching that writer. I do this every few months and find it very enjoyable.