In Search of the Irisch Dreamtime

A fascinating exploration of Ireland''s rich mythological tradition, from the author of the highly acclaimed The Origins of the Irish. J. P. Mallory returns to the subject of the origins of the Irish to interrogate what he calls the ''Irish Dreamtime'': the native Irish retelling of their own provenance, as related by medieval manuscripts. He attempts to explore the reality of this version of the earliest history of Ireland, which places apparently mythological events on a concrete timeline of invasions, colonizations and royal reigns that extends even further back in time than the history of Classical Greece. By comparing the world depicted in the earliest Irish literary tradition with the archaeological evidence available on the ground, Mallory explores Ireland''s rich mythological tradition and tests its claims to represent reality.