I can’t count the times I’ve prayed for the dull, droning monotony of a lecture to end. We will all be able to remember a talk we wished we could escape, a pointless meeting, or a seemingly unending work presentation. I resent how much of my life has been stolen away by such moments.
So why would we then willingly choose to read a lecture? Not only that, but what if I said this lecture was given before most of us were even born. Why give up our precious time and money to choose to attend a lecture and one which may already have been rendered out-of-date by more recent research?
These were my questions when I picked up this book. But like a well-aged wine, this lecture has only gained importance and value with time. Its content remains relevant and significant for any interested in Irish prehistory and mythology.
Book overview
This book is the transcript of a lecture some six decades old. What I loved about it was its concision. We get, in a brief 55 pages, a panoramic view of Iron Age Ireland: from the political structures of chiefs and vassals; to the social structures of fosterage, dress and settlements; to the practices of warfare.
All of this is communicated through the colourful narratives of myth and legend to show how fact and fiction can so beautifully come together. Unlike so many modern books on this subject, Jackson takes no time to pad out his narrative. His points are clear, well formulated, evidenced, and structured.
Book structure
The content primarily walks through Irish classical texts, setting them against the other contemporary texts from this period. Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies are all set against one another to paint a clever backdrop to the Irish mythology canon. Jackson also takes the narratives from these Irish texts to draw informed judgements about the life and beliefs of the people who would’ve created them.
Verdict
As to whether it’s out-of-date, I am honestly not qualified to say whether there are now sections which have been supplanted by modern archaeology, but I find it highly unlikely. Sadly ancient Irish history has often not been preserved as it should, so new findings – while now increasing in pace and quality – are still playing catch-up against the erosion of time and memory. But the goods news, for this book, is that this makes it still highly relevant today. It is why I think it’s an excellent entry point into the world of Ireland some 2000 years ago.
The only downside is the cost as it’s a little pricey at £17.99 especially for it’s brevity. There may be other sources you can purchase this online, but for the paperback the cost is disproportionate even for an academic text.
Favourite quote
“But as soon as one tries to fish for this mythology from under the surface much of it slips through one’s net, leaving for the most part little but the names of characters unquestionably recognisable, from their Romano-Gaulish and Romano-British counterparts”.
Favourite fact
The use of the term “sun wise” to refer to turning to the sun rather than away from it.
Author
So much of ancient Irish history comes to us through secondary sources, passed down by amateurs, much like me. But Kenneth Jackson was no amateur. He was a Professor delivering the prestigious Rede Lecture at the University of Cambridge. This is the 1960s equivalent of a viral Ted talk, only this one is worth your time. For more on his background see here
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