Description

While mainstream histories focus heavily on Daniel O’Connell’s immense parliamentary victories, his legendary status as “The Liberator” generated a massive, near-mythical oral tradition across rural communities. In Immortal Dan – Daniel O’ Connell in Irish Folk Tradition, celebrated folklorist Ríonach uí Ógáin delivers a thorough, data-driven historical audit of how O’Connell was remembered by the people he championed.

Drawing deeply from the massive archives of the Irish Folklore Commission, uí Ógáin evaluates the functional operations of popular memory, compiling tales of his sharp legal wit, his defense of the poor, and his legendary speaking abilities. The text guides researchers systematically through Irish-language poems, traditional songs, and rural folk tales, revealing how a real political figure was transformed into an immortal folk hero. Written with exceptional precision and direct clarity, this premium volume serves as a mandatory cornerstone for folklore departments, nineteenth-century historians, and research libraries worldwide.

Core academic and research frameworks within this cultural study:

• Oral Tradition Curation: Collects and analyzes verified regional variants of stories and traditional songs, complete with original Irish-language texts.

• Socio-Cultural Identity Mapping: Examines the deep connection between political mass mobilization and the development of popular Catholic folklore.

• Elite Scholarly Quality: Heavily supported by deep archival citations, informant indexes, and comprehensive bibliographic indices.