Máire MacNeill’s 1962 work, The Festival of Lughnasa, is regarded as the definitive, monumental ethnographic study of the ancient Celtic harvest festival, tracing the survival of pagan traditions in modern Ireland through extensive archival research. Scholars praise its detailed, analytical documentation of folk customs, which separates interpretation from fact, despite its dense nature. Review a detailed academic analysis of the work at Cambridge University Press.
She documented 195 sites across Ireland where festivals were held, often on mountains (like Croagh Patrick) or near water features.
Lughnasa is one of the four quarterly feasts of the old Irish year, marking the beginning of the harvest (traditionally August 1st). The Struggle Myth: the festival of lughnasa maire macneill pdf
Games and Fairs: Historical events like the Tailteann Games or surviving festivals like the Puck Fair are thought to be continuations of Lugh’s ancient funeral games for his foster-mother, Tailtiu.
The following story is inspired by the central myths and local traditions MacNeill uncovered during her years with the Irish Folklore Commission The Taking of the First Grain The air on the heights of the Máire MacNeill’s 1962 work, The Festival of Lughnasa
The Origins of Lughnasa
Use keywords like "The Festival of Lughnasa Máire MacNeill PDF" or "Máire MacNeill The Festival of Lughnasa" to find relevant results. She documented 195 sites across Ireland where festivals
The Festival of Lughnasa: A Comprehensive Study
MacNeill, Máire. The Festival of Lughnasa: A Study of the Survival of the Celtic Festival of the Beginning of Harvest. Dublin: Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann / Oxford University Press, 1962.