Old Ways to New Days

<p><b>Foreword by Dáithí Ó Sé</b><br><br><b>Step back into a world where turf fires warmed the hearth, water was drawn from the well, and stories told by flickering candlelight lit up the night.</b><br><br>In <i>Old Ways to New Days</i>, folklorist Shane Lehane brings the soul of Ireland's past to life in a beautifully woven tapestry of tradition, transformation and memory. From the magic of birth to the customs of death and mourning; from matchmakers and milking stools to butter charms and fairy lore, Lehane traces the arc of a society rooted in the land, as it evolved with the arrival of bicycles, electricity, cinema and the wireless.<br><br>At once scholarly and deeply personal, this is a celebration of how the old ways still echo in Irish memory and lore, even as the new days roll on. Wonderfully illustrated with dip-pen drawings, this is a book to treasure and a poignant reminder of who we were, and how we came to be.</p>