The Irish Keen: Grief Rituals and the Otherworld

The return of the traditional Irish lament

* Provides context and history for the traditional Irish lament known as the keen, examining the origins of the ritual and its history from paganism through Christianity

* Explores keening's shamanic dimensions and mythological connections to the Otherworld, including the world of Faerie while drawing on archaeology and traditional Irish folklore

* Looks at the practicalities of keening, considering the wake as a rite of passage, the role and burden o...