E. Estyn Evans

"Henry Glassie, in his Foreword, describes Estyn Evans, the great geographer-historian of Belfast, as 'one in a tiny aristocracy of the mind who created the intellectual world we inhabit and whose writings will inspire scholars yet unborn'. This is manifest in the depth of knowledge and in the exhilarating grasp of detail and method to be found in Ireland and the Atlantic Heritage." "A biographical memoir by Gwyneth Evans introduces the man and the work. Part I concerns the island of Ireland - its habitat and history, the relationship of the land to its occupants, the shaping of a country and a consciousness. Part II positions Ireland between the Old and New Worlds and contains Evans' pioneering essays on the pastoral experience of Atlantic Europe, the Pyrenees, the Scotch-Irish of North America. Part III focuses on Evans' beloved Ulster and its people: from Rathlin Island, Fair Head, Lammas Fair and Belfast, to the Mournes and Slieve Gullion. Part IV sketches with vivid particularity the folk customs and material culture of the province: harvest rituals; fields, fences and gates; the game of bullets in County Down; the observance of time; bird-song; and a tale from south-west Donegal. Part V includes affectionate pen-portraits of friends and colleagues in both academe and the countryside - John Clarke ('the potato king'), Geordie Barnett, Maisie Gaffikin, Rory de Valera, Adolf Mahr - as well as lighter, humorous pieces. Finally, the Epilogue by John Campbell, with an accompanying bibliography, appraises and documents Evans' contribution to modern scholarship. Photographs and pen-and-ink drawings by the author illustrate the text."--Jacket.

A classic in its field, this charming work by a noted scholar explores traditional Irish customs and activities—from thatching a roof, churning butter, cultivating and harvesting crops, making pots and pans and building furniture to behavior at weddings, wakes, festivals, and funerals. "For all its learning, the book is popular in the best way, and admirably illustrated. . . ."—Times Literary Supplement. (London)