Old Ways To New Days

Step back into a world where turf fires warmed the hearth, water was drawn from the well, and stories told by flickering candlelight lit up the night more brightly than an electric bulb ever could. In Old Ways to New Days, folklorist Shane Lehane brings the soul of Ireland's past to life in a beautifully woven tapestry of tradition, transformation and memory. Through vivid storytelling and playful illustration, the book explores how everyday rituals, seasonal customs and rural ingenuity shaped generations of Irish lives - from the magic of birth and courtship to the customs of death and mourning. From matchmakers and milking stools to butter charms, Skellig Lists and fairy lore, Lehane traces the arc of a society rooted in the land, as it evolved with the arrival of bicycles, electricity, cinema and the wireless. At once scholarly and deeply personal, this is a celebration of how the old ways still echo in Irish memory and lore, even as the new days roll on. A book to treasure and a poignant reminder of who we were, and how we came to be.