BOOK REVIEW: DIARMUID Ó GIOLLÁIN, “IRISH ETHNOLOGIES”, INDIANA: UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME PRESS, 2017, 238 P.

Abstract

Irish Ethnologies was published in 2011, under the editorship of Diarmuid Ó. Giolláin, as the English counterpart to the volume Irlande après Arensberg et O Duilearga, which appeared first in the second issue of the Ethnologie française, vol. 41 (2011).  The volume comprises a series of essays, pieced together seamlessly into a collection that cross-examines issues of Irish anthropology and folklore. This anthology opens new lines of inquiry into matters of nationalism, colonialism, or folklore and fosters a greater understanding of all the adjacent fields to ethnology. The volume also stands testament to Ireland’s coming-of-age in anthropology and folklore studies. The generous corpus of texts accumulated in the last few decades prove that Ireland is not only a gold mine of folkloric resources but also a fertile ground for exploring topics of contemporary interest, ranging from post-colonialism, political ideology, national identity, to environmental concerns.