Blessed and the Damned

The Author: Anne O’Connor holds a Ph.D. in Irish Folklore, an MBA, and academic qualifications in other disciplines. She has been interested in Irish and international folk belief and narrative for many years, and has written, lectured and broadcast on many aspects of Irish oral tradition. Her published work includes many articles and reviews, and her doctoral thesis was published in 1991. She now works with RTÉ, Ireland’s public service broadcasting organisation.

• Contents: Irish Folklore Scholarship today – Irish Religious Lore and Legend – Tradition, Memory and Identity – The Restless Souls of Unbaptised Children in European Folklore – Legends of the Blessed and the Damned – Dead-Child Revenant Legends - Nordic, French and Irish – Child Murderess Revenants, ‘Petticoat Loose’ and Sister Spirits – Irish Religious Tradition in a Comparative Historical Context – Dominant versus Alternative Readings.

«...an extremely interesting and stimulating book that enlightens a whole range of issues in the Irish past as well as addressing a more contemporary range of concerns about religious identities and memory. [...] This...is a richly suggestive book for historians interested in the religious cultures of Ireland over time. It demonstrates the importance of multiple readings and approaches to the sometimes intractable evidence that makes up the raw material for interpreting religious identities in Ireland.» (Raymond Gillespie, The Catholic Historical Review) «It [the book] is thoroughly researched and scholarly, and exemplifies the Finnish or Historical-geographical method. It is a comprehensive survey of a complex aspect of Irish folklore and offers copious notes and valuable references. [...] This is a welcome work that points the way in terms of thematic consolidation and representation of vernacular discourse and worldview. It is hoped that it is a harbinger of many books that can engage both the discipline and the public, past and present, in the ongoing arts of vernacular communication.» (Stiofán Ó Cadhla, Béascna)«‘The Blessed and the Damned’ is a truly challenging book about a fascinating aspect of Irish folk tradition. As an illustration of how a subject can be developed in a new direction in the hands of a dedicated researcher, it is exemplary.» (Máirín Nic Eoin, Tipperary Historical Journal)