MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW

“Bonfire Night”, or Oíche Fhéile Eóin (“Saint John’s Night”), has been observed in parts of Ireland for centuries. The earliest documentary evidence of the lighting of bonfires on the eve of the feast, 23 June, dates to the 17th century. The custom was so important that it gave rise to the appellati...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: TIZIANA SOVERINO
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Romanian Academy 2016-04-01
Series:Revista Română de Sociologie
Online Access:http://revistadesociologie.ro/en/sites/default/files/02-tsoverino_1.pdf
_version_ 1819213339613462528
author TIZIANA SOVERINO
author_facet TIZIANA SOVERINO
author_sort TIZIANA SOVERINO
collection DOAJ
description “Bonfire Night”, or Oíche Fhéile Eóin (“Saint John’s Night”), has been observed in parts of Ireland for centuries. The earliest documentary evidence of the lighting of bonfires on the eve of the feast, 23 June, dates to the 17th century. The custom was so important that it gave rise to the appellation “Bonfire Night”. In the west of the country, and elsewhere, such as in Cork city, bonfire celebrations seem strong even recently. However, to survive, they must kaleidoscopically adapt to everchanging circumstances. Drawing on a range of sources – from the unpublished replies to National Folklore Collection (NFC) questionnaires, to twenty-first century local newspapers, and to fieldwork undertaken in 2008 – three major changes in this custom have been identified: the material allowed in the fires, the commercialisation of bonfires, and the withdrawal of a certain part of the population from the festivities. The article will explore complementary reasons behind these trends
first_indexed 2024-12-23T06:57:18Z
format Article
id doaj.art-4838fa9d031a4e919aec886953432ed4
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1224-9262
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-23T06:57:18Z
publishDate 2016-04-01
publisher Romanian Academy
record_format Article
series Revista Română de Sociologie
spelling doaj.art-4838fa9d031a4e919aec886953432ed42022-12-21T17:56:17ZengRomanian AcademyRevista Română de Sociologie1224-92622016-04-011-2/2016524MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEWTIZIANA SOVERINO0School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore, Newman Building, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ir“Bonfire Night”, or Oíche Fhéile Eóin (“Saint John’s Night”), has been observed in parts of Ireland for centuries. The earliest documentary evidence of the lighting of bonfires on the eve of the feast, 23 June, dates to the 17th century. The custom was so important that it gave rise to the appellation “Bonfire Night”. In the west of the country, and elsewhere, such as in Cork city, bonfire celebrations seem strong even recently. However, to survive, they must kaleidoscopically adapt to everchanging circumstances. Drawing on a range of sources – from the unpublished replies to National Folklore Collection (NFC) questionnaires, to twenty-first century local newspapers, and to fieldwork undertaken in 2008 – three major changes in this custom have been identified: the material allowed in the fires, the commercialisation of bonfires, and the withdrawal of a certain part of the population from the festivities. The article will explore complementary reasons behind these trendshttp://revistadesociologie.ro/en/sites/default/files/02-tsoverino_1.pdf
spellingShingle TIZIANA SOVERINO
MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW
Revista Română de Sociologie
title MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW
title_full MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW
title_fullStr MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW
title_full_unstemmed MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW
title_short MIDSUMMER (SAINT JOHN’S FEAST) IN IRELAND: THE OLD AND THE NEW
title_sort midsummer saint john s feast in ireland the old and the new
url http://revistadesociologie.ro/en/sites/default/files/02-tsoverino_1.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT tizianasoverino midsummersaintjohnsfeastinirelandtheoldandthenew