Duchas Agus an Domhan

This book introduces the field and the study of Irish-folklore to Irish-speakers. While the author's Locating Irish Folklore: Tradition, Modernity, Identity (2000) deals with the intellectual problem of the invention of a concept of folklore and its application in an Irish context, An Duchas agus an Domhan both describes in detail the rich traditional culture of the Gaeltacht to which folklorists applied their training and defines the field of folklore as a scholarly discourse. It is the first such book written primarily for an Irish readership and one of the very few in any language that considers both the nature of traditional society and the discourse of folklore together. It gives a thematic treatment of vernacular worlds - concentrating on 'time', 'place' and 'community' - and of their changing relationships with the widening horizons of the state, modernity and globalization. It is based on the 19th, 20th and 21st century evidence of folklore, anthropology, (auto)biographical literature and history. Cad is bealoideas ann agus ca seasann se idir an duchas agus an domhan?Tuigtear de ghnath gur rud duchasach agus gur ghne thabhachtach de chuid na sochai traidisiunta e an bealoideas. Ach bhi caidreamh riamh ag an sochai thraidisiunta leis an saol lasmuigh: ni raibh si neamhspleach ar an stat, ar fhorsai eacnamula naisiunta agus idirnaisiunta, ar thiarnai talun, ar an eaglais, ar an gcultur leannta, ar ide-eolaiochtai polaitiula. Tugann an leabhar seo cur sios ar an gcultur saibhir traidisiunta ar chuir scolairi bealoidis suim ann agus tugann se sainmhiniu ar ghort sin an bhealoidis mar dhioscursa leinn. Pleann se go speisialta le tri theama ar leithligh: 'am', 'ait' agus 'pobal', agus trachtann se orthu i gcomhtheacs na sochai traidisiunta, leathnu an stait, teacht chun cinn na nua-aoise agus gearu an domhandaithe. Usaideann se fianaise on 19u, 20u agus 21u haois, agus on mbealoideas, on antraipeolaiocht, o (dhir)bheathaisneisi Gaeltachta agus on stair. Is e an chead bhunleabhar ar leann an bhealoidis as Gaeilge e.

Diarmuid O Giollain is a senior lecturer in the Department of Folklore and Ethinology at University College Cork