This is the most common source for the PDF. Often, libraries will lend digital copies of older academic texts through the Internet Archive’s controlled digital lending program. You may need to create a free account to "borrow" the PDF for a limited time.
: The work catalogues hundreds of assembly sites throughout Ireland, including Croagh Patrick (Reek Sunday), the Hill of Tara, and various "pattern" days. Book Structure & Contents the festival of lughnasa maire macneill pdf
MacNeill catalogues 185 distinct Lughnasa sites. She ranks them by "ritual intensity" – from sites with full mountain assemblies, vendors, and horse races, to those with only a holy well visit. Pay attention to the maps. Her cartographic analysis (Maps 1-4 in the PDF) shows the festival’s stronghold in Munster and Connacht, with a notable absence in Ulster due to plantation disruptions. This is the most common source for the PDF
is considered the definitive scholarly work on this ancient Irish harvest celebration. First published in 1962, this nearly 700-page ethnographic study meticulously documents how the pagan festival dedicated to the god Lugh survived into modern times through folk customs, pilgrimages, and local fairs. : The work catalogues hundreds of assembly sites
Maire MacNeill’s research was groundbreaking because it synthesized thousands of oral accounts from the Irish Folklore Commission : It covers over 195 sites in Ireland.
Máire MacNeill’s The Festival of Lughnasa is more than a history book; it is a rescue operation for a dying culture. By compiling the scattered memories of the Irish rural population, she preserved the specifics of a pre-Christian festival that had survived, disguised, for millennia.
By exploring Máire MacNeill's study and its enduring legacy, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the Festival of Lughnasa and its significance within Irish cultural heritage.