Dáithí Ó Hógáin Knihy

"Celtic-speaking peoples were one of the most important population groups to spread across the ancient European continent. From 800 B.C. to 1050 A.D. their story is one of expanding power and influence followed by contraction and near-extinction." "Drawing on all possible sources of evidence, from archaeological remains of ancient Greece and Rome to surviving cultural influences, Daithi O. hOgain outlines the history of the Celts. He follows the evolution of their culture as it gained strength on its two-thousand-year passage westwards through Europe, through the upheaval of the early middle ages to 'twilight' and decline in the west." "The influence of the Celts is far more widespread than its fragmented survival in the outer fringes of western Europe indicates; this once important culture is still a vital component of European civilisation and heritage, from east to west. In tracing the course of the history of the Celts, O. hOgain shows how far-reaching their influence has been."--Jacket

Ancient monuments, legends and folklore interpreted to illuminate the realities of prehistoric Irish belief.The myths and legends of prehistoric Ireland have inspired writers through the ages, down to W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney in our own century, but what do we know of the realities of ancient Irish belief? Daithi O hOgain's book approaches the question by studying archaeological remains such as tumuli, stone henges and circular enclosures and analysing the rich materials that have been handed down both in the great cycles of Irish heroic tales and the humblebut significant survivals of modern folklore, for instance the traditions associated with wells and springs. Drawing evidence from these varied sources, he arrives at a balanced picture of a society and its beliefs which have alltoo often been the subject of conjecture and fancy.CONTENTS Pre-Celtic Cultures . Basic Tenets in the Iron Age . The Druids and their Practices . The Teachings of the Druids . The Society of the Gods . The Rites of Sovereignty . The Triumph of Christianity.DAITHI O HOGAIN was Professor of Folklore at University College Dublin.