Mythic Ireland

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a Terrific Book!
Review: I found this book to be fascinating, scholarly and helpful. It was one of two books I brought to Ireland as a pseudo-guide book. From it, I got a great tour of Lough Gur. For those interested in Celtic Ireland, it is a must read!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a Terrific Book!
Review: I found this book to be fascinating, scholarly and helpful. It was one of two books I brought to Ireland as a pseudo-guide book. From it, I got a great tour of Lough Gur. For those interested in Celtic Ireland, it is a must read!

Rating:
Summary: Unhelpful for the novice
Review: I picked up this book hoping to get a good solid introduction into the relation between Irish myths and Irish stone sites. Being someone with no prior knowledge of Irish myths but with an academic background in English, I find Michael Dame's style in this book totally confusing: the basic division into chapters about the Irish provinces is fine, what he does within these chapters, however, is often barely comprehensible! This is, in my opinion, due to the poor structuring of the many, many myths, their variations and correlations with myths of other cultures, and descriptions of sites. The wealth of interesting information is presented in a mostly incongruous sequence of paragraphs making it nearly impossible for the novice to grasp or remember. Dame's way of mentioning names as if the reader is already familiar with them may be fine with people who know their Irish mythology, to me as novice it only adds to my feelings of incomprehension and confusion. - This book could be so much better if it were only written better!

Rating:
Summary: Quite a fascinating book
Review: Michael Dames, a student of geography, archaeology and art, wrote this book as his own introduction (or perhaps explanation) of Ireland. Divided into five sections (one for each province of ancient Ireland), the book looks at the beliefs of Ireland, and its magical locations - those both ancient, and modern. As a treatise on Irish mythology this book is rather lacking, and as a travel book it is a complete disaster. But, as a book that combines the two, it is nothing short of a tour de force. It gives the reader ideas on how he or she can travel Ireland, touching the magic of its history, and the history of its magic. This is quite a fascinating book.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite Irish books!
Review: Whether you're a tourist, a researcher, or just interested in Ireland's mythic and ancient sites, this is THE book to own. Dames includes documented history and archaeology, as well as rich anecdotes that make each site come alive on the page. I read and discard many books about Ireland and its history. This one is at the top of my list, to keep and re-read often.