Softcover. Bloomington IN, Indiana University Press, reprint, 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover in pictorial wrappers, 852 pages. The life and art, the folklore, history, and common work of a rural community in Northern Ireland-through the eyes and pen of gifted folklorist Henry Glassie. Glassie regards the people of Ballymenone with respect and affection, allowing them to describe their ideas, life-ways, and values on their own terms, not his. Recognizing that theirs is a mindset and lifestyle that must be seen as an integrated whole, Glassie studies everything about Ballymenone from traditional songs to entertainment to religious beliefs to architecture, liberally quoting from the people who welcomed him into their homes over his extended stays. Some of his insights are pure brilliance, such as recognizing the way the poets and storytellers of a rural Irish district have adapted ancient Gaelic metrics to the English they use today. You will learn more about Ireland and its people in this one book than in a host of others. Clean copy.
