Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology

This course introduces the popular beliefs, vernacular customs, material culture, and oral traditions of Ireland, with an emphasis on the latter. Although much Irish folklore has roots in the far distant past, we will focus on those traditions documented from the 19th through 21st centuries¿a period during which folklore inspired an Irish literary revival, served the nation[1]building project of a newly independent republic, and continues to inspire creative responses to modernity. We will conclude with an investigation of the politics of culture and identity in contemporary Northern Ireland where the legacy of British colonialism remains most pronounced.