ARCH07066 2023 Folklore, Popular Religion and Traditional Belief in Ireland
Full Title
Folklore, Popular Religion and Traditional Belief in Ireland
Transcript Title
Folklore, Popular Religion
Code
ARCH07066
Attendance
N/A %
Subject Area
ARCH - 0222 Hist & Archaeology
Department
ESCI - Environmental Science
Level
07 - Level 7
Credit
05 - 05 Credits
Duration
Semester
Fee
€
Start Term
2023 - Full Academic Year 2023-24
End Term
9999 - The End of Time
Author(s)
Marion Dowd
Programme Membership
SG_SRITU_S07 202300 Certificate in Ritual and Meaning in Archaeology
Description
This 15 week module explores the folklore, popular religion and traditional beliefs of 18th, 19th and early 20th century Ireland. Topics covered will include, but not be limited to, discussion of the terms 'folklore' and 'popular religion'; an exploration of the fairies (sí) and their relationship to the human world; fairy places in the landscape; the archaeology of the fairies; traditional medicine; the pattern (patrún); traditions and beliefs about women; death customs and beliefs; the folklore of children.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;
1.
Discuss the role of the fairies in traditional belief systems
2.
Describe the holy well and patrún tradition
3.
Explore the role of popular medicine in 19th and early 20th century Ireland
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Students will cover a range of topics tied into the learning outcomes as follows:
Distinguish between medieval mythology/early literature and post-medieval oral tradition/folklore: knowledge of definitions.
Describe the nature of traditional medicine for humans and animals: supernatural agency; the sí; traditional medicine; the folk healer
Exhibit knowledge of the key characteristics of the fairies (sí): fairy geography, archaeology and material culture; death and the supernatural; women, childbirth and children
Demonstrate understanding of the holy well tradition and pattern (patrún): popular versus official religion.
Module Assessment Strategies
Assessment for this module will comprise 100% Continuous Assessment. There will be no final exam.
There will be two assessments, each worth 50%. Both allow the learner to further explore two aspects of Irish folklore or tradition that are of particular interest to them.
The assessments comprise an essay (1,500 - 2,000 words) and a PowerPoint Presentation (5-7 minutes).
Assessments will be designed to minimise opportunities for plagiarism and for inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence. Where appropriate, suitable detection software will be used.
Repeat Assessments
Repeat continuous assessment
Indicative Syllabus
Discuss the role of the fairies in traditional belief systems
- Origins of the fairies
- Human-fairy interactions
- Fairies and illness
- Preventative actions and the fairies
Describe the holy well and patrún tradition
- Physical properties of holy wells
- Cures
- Nature of patrún rituals
Explore the role of popular medicine in 19th and early 20th century Ireland
- The folk healer
- Animal cures
- Supernatural cures and objects of agency
- Cures for human illness
Coursework & Assessment Breakdown
Coursework & Continuous Assessment
100 %
Coursework Assessment
| Title | Type | Form | Percent | Week | Learning Outcomes Assessed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essay | Coursework Assessment | Written Report/Essay | 50 % | Week 15 | 2,3 |
| 2 | PowerPoint Presentation | Coursework Assessment | Oral Exam/Presentation | 50 % | Week 8 | 1,2,3 |
Online Learning Mode Workload
| Type | Location | Description | Hours | Frequency | Avg Workload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | Not Specified | Lecture | 2 | Weekly | 2.00 |
| Independent Learning | Offsite Facility | Independent learning | 5 | Weekly | 5.00 |
Total Online Learning Average Weekly Learner Contact Time 2.00 Hours
Required & Recommended Book List
Required Reading
1980 The Holy Wells of Ireland Colin Smythe
ISBN 0861400461 ISBN-13 9780861400461
1980 The Holy Wells of Ireland Colin Smythe
ISBN 0861400461 ISBN-13 9780861400461
Patrick Logan. "An excellent compendium of Irish holy well lore and legend...Fourteen chapters are included, Together with a glossary of Irish terminology, Which cover topics such as the pilgrimage to the well, Holy days, Legends associated with holy
Required Reading
2001-01-01 The Year in Ireland Mercier PressLtd
ISBN 1856350932 ISBN-13 9781856350938
2001-01-01 The Year in Ireland Mercier PressLtd
ISBN 1856350932 ISBN-13 9781856350938
This volume describes how the round of the year, with its cycle of festivals and seasonal work, was observed in the Ireland of yesterday. We follow the rhythm of the year from New Year to Easter, May Day to Harvest and Christmas along the chain of highdays and feastdays, St Brighid's Day, The Borrowed Days, Midsummer, St Swithin's Day, Lunasa, The Pattern Day, Samhain, Martinmas and Christmas. fishing boat - belief and usage - feasting and merrymaking. Picturesque customs are revealed - some forgotten, some forbidden, some still familiar, such as 'the making of St Brighid's cross - marriage divinations - watching the dancing of the sun on a hilltop on Easter morning - going to the Skelligs - cock-throwing - bullbaiting - herring processions - the swimming of the horses on Lunasa - and many others. A multi-coloured tapestry. years experience of research into Irish folk tradition. Irish Country People, Folktales of the Irish Countryside and The Pleasant Land of Ireland
Module Resources
Non ISBN Literary Resources
Bailey, M.D., 2007. Magic and Superstition in Europe. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Boschung, D. & Bremmer, J.N. (eds.), 2015. The Materiality of Magic. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink Verlag.
Bourke, A., 1999. The Burning of Bridget Cleary. London: Pimlico.
Davies, O., 2016. The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Evans, E.E., 1957. Irish Folk Ways. London: Routledge.
Gilchrist, R., 2008. Magic for the dead? The archaeology of magic in later medieval burials. Medieval Archaeology 52, 119-59.
Houlbrook, C. & Armitage, N. (eds.), 2015. The Materiality of Magic. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Hutton, R. (ed.), 2015. Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: a Feeling for Magic. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macm
Merrifield, R., 1987. The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic. New York: New Amsterdam Books.
Ó hÓgáin, D., 2002. Irish Superstitions. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Ltd.
Sneddon, A., 2015. Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland. Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Updated Literary Resources
Journal Resources
Anderson, A.E. and Dowd, M. 2022. A study of cillíní (children’s burial grounds) in County Donegal. The Journal of Irish Archaeology 31, 119-133.
Dowd, M. 2018. Bewitched by an elf dart: fairy archaeology, folk magic and traditional medicine in Ireland. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 28(3), 451-473.
Dowd, M. 2019. Fairy flint and lithic lore: the use of prehistoric artefacts in traditional folk medicine. Archaeology Ireland 33(3), 18-21.
Houlbrook, C., 2013. Ritual, recycling and recontextualization: putting the concealed shoe into context. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 23(1), 99-112.
Houlbrook, C., 2017. The other shoe: fragmentation in the post-medieval home. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 27(2), 261-74.
Ó Cathasaigh, T., 1977/8. The semantics of ‘síd’. Éigse 17, 137-55.
Thompson, T., 2004. The Irish Sí tradition: connections between the disciplines, and what’s in a word? Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 11(4), 335-68.
Thompson, T., 2005. Clocha geala/cloche uaisle: white quartz in Irish tradition. Béaloideas 73, 111-33.
URL Resources
National Folklore Collection: www.duchas.ie
Other Resources
Additional Information