Irish Customs and Rituals

"Focusing on the period from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twetieth centuries, [the book] discusses a time during which many of the practices and beliefs went into decline. Many of these customs were rooted in pre-Christian beliefs that ran parallel to, and in spite of, conventional religion practiced in the country. Some customs were so de3ep-rooted that despite continued disapproval from the Roman Catholic Church they remain with us today."--Back cover.