Last week I provided a pandemic-themed reading list. This may have been a bit of a downer, but keeping informed doesn’t always mean glitter and unicorns. Except that once in a while, learning something new can feel like finding a pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow. So long as a leprechaun isn’t guarding the gold.
March brings out the Irish in me, so today I’d like to tip my hat to my Irish ancestors and say, “Erin go Bragh” to all. What with all the current health concerns taking place, traveling to Ireland might not be the most prudent thing to do. But through the power and magic of reading, your heart and mind can go on a Celtic journey through material you’ve checked out from the library.
I could have filled today’s reading list with travel guides and travelogues (of which the library has many), but I thought it would be fun to include titles not just about travel but also Irish history (“All Standing: The Remarkable Story of the Jeanie Johnston, the Legendary Irish Famine Ship”); genealogy (“The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Ancestors in Ireland”); cooking (“Irish Pantry: Traditional Breads, Preserves, and Goodies to Feed the Ones You Love”); singing (“The Grand Irish Songbook”); and perhaps the most fun of all, dancing (“Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games” starring the Lord of the Dance himself, Michael Flatley).
Of course, I couldn’t have an Emerald Isle reading list without including the great Irish poet, William Butler Yeats, so you’ll also find a collection of his poems and tales in “When You Are Old: Early Poems and Fairy Tales.” And finally, a title I happened upon while doing research for this column, “Gods and Goddesses of Ireland: A Guide to Irish Deities.” Here is where I learned about the Tuatha De Danann, a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Aengus, the son of the Dagda and the Goddess Boinn, is “… a god of youth, beauty, and love,” and one of his important possessions is “… a magical horse so large it can carry an entire household.” How handy would it be to have one horse as your moving company? However, the myth of Aengus and his really big equine goes on to say that Lough Neagh (a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland covering 153 square miles) was created when the horse needed to relieve himself. On second thought, having a horse that big probably wouldn’t be good for the yard — or the county.
