What you'll learn
- Grow your knowledge of Irish fairy.
- Understand fiary in context of Irish folktale and poetry.
- Develop familiarity with features of Irish culture.
- Obtain an archetype resource for further creative practice.
Requirements
- This course is open to all levels and has no prior requirements.
Description
This course brings you into the magical realm of Ireland, populated by fairies. Irish fairies are well known - the leprechaun and the banshee are celebrated fairy figures, appearing in stories, films and games. But these are not the only Irish fairies and if you want to know more about the variety, habitation and habits of a range of Irish fairies, this is the course for you.
If you’re interested in Ireland or in Irish culture, drawn to mythology or simply want to know more about magical figures, this Field Guide to Irish fairies offers a valuable resource. It can be used to educate, entertain, or enrich your own creativity.
The guide draws on stories and poems collected and published by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats in the late 19th century. The tales of encounter and adventure with fairy figures mark a serious study of the supernatural dimension of Irish culture in the 19th century. Yeats draws on stories created and or retold by leading Irish writers and poets. This snapshot of Irish fairy belief was gathered at a time when Irish fairy were very much a characteristic feature of Irish cultural value and belief.
Dr. Bernadette McCarthy, a specialist in Irish literature and in Irish myth and legend, sifts through Yeats’s collection, leads your through his catalogue of fairy types, and then appends copies and narrates the entirety of the poems and stories for you in the course resources. Enjoy!
Who this course is for:
- This course is intended for people interested in learning more about fairy.
- Those interested in Irish culture and storytelling.
- It is also intended as a resource for storytellers and creatives.
Instructor
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 71 Reviews
- 1,391 Students
- 5 Courses
Bernie McCarthy holds a PhD in Irish literature and has taught at University College Cork, University of Limerick and West Cork College. She is a specialist in Irish Myth and Legend, writes historical fiction and lives near Baltimore in the southwest of Ireland. Her publications include works in From the Well, the Wildean, Notes & Queries, Irish University Review and Cahiers victoriens et édouardiens.