An Irish Folklore Treasury

An Irish Folklore Treasury brings together stories and memories drawn from the Schools’ Collection, gathered by Irish schoolchildren during the 1930s. Their accounts preserve local traditions alongside recollections of how families worked, played, worshipped and managed daily life. John Creedon introduces each section, giving context to this wide-ranging record of Ireland’s past.

The folklore includes supernatural beings, mythical heroes and ghost stories, as well as farming customs, old trades, home crafts and traditional foods. Further chapters cover hedge and national schools, games, weather lore, folk medicine, religion, feast days and hard times. The result is a people’s history assembled from firsthand memories, practical knowledge and stories passed down through Irish communities.