Storytelling on the Northern Irish Border Characters and Community [Paperback]

More than quaint local color, folklore is a crucial part of life in Aghyaran, a mixed Catholic-Protestant border community in Northern Ireland. Neighbors socialize during wakes and ceilisinformal nighttime gatheringswithout regard to religious, ethnic, or political affiliation. The witty, sometimes raucous stories swapped on these occasions offer a window into Aghyaran residents views of self and other in the wake of decades of violent conflict. Through anecdotes about local characters, participants explore the nature of community and identity in ways that transcend Catholic or Protestant sectarian histories. Ray Cashman analyzes local character anecdotes in detail and argues that while politicians may take credit for the peace process in Northern Ireland, no political progress would be possible without ordinary people using shared resources of storytelling and socializing to imagine and maintain community.

Storytelling on the Northern Irish Border has broad, multi-disciplinary appeal and is a worthy contribution to any folkloristic, anthropological, or celtic Studies library. Although the book assumes a significant level of folkloristic knowledge, it is accessible and does not exclude a non-academic audience.Winner, Chicago Folklore PrizeWinner, Donald Murphy Award, American Conference for Irish Studies[S]tudents will find it immensely useful in providing them with concepts and terminology which will broaden their vision and sharpen their research and analytical skills. A beautifully written, shapely book, it is a pleasure to read. And it is packed with brilliant new ideas and observations about storytelling, people, community, and life.Winner, Chicago Folklore PrizeWinner, Donald Murphy Award for Distinguished First Book, American Conference for Irish Studies[P]rovides a powerful demonstration of the social role and function of folklore . . . [and] deserves a much wider readership among those involved in the study of conflict resolution or of Irish historlƒ,