Abstract
THE appointment by the Irish Free State of a Commission on Irish folk-lore is an extension of the active interest already shown by the authorities in the antiquities and history of Ireland that will be welcomed by all students of her traditions and ancient culture. The Commission is to be comprehensive in scope. It will arrange for the collection, collation and cataloguing of both oral and written folk-lore material, and also, if thought desirable, for the publication of such material. The scheme for collection which has been drawn up includes provision for a body of collectors who will travel through the country for the purpose of taking down by means of recording machines not only tales and songs, but also, among the older members of the community, their recollections of life in the country-side in their young days. Subject to the approval of Bail Eireann, a sum not exceeding £3,250 a year, for a period of five years, will be devoted to the work of the Commission. Although Ireland, in comparison with other parts of the British Isles, has not been badly served in the matter of attention from the collector of local lore and legends, it has always been known that extensive tracts of tradition and custom remained untouched; and notwithstanding the sophistication which has affected Ireland in common with other countries of recent years, the remoter districts still retain much of their primitive character and tradition. In addition to its work of collection, the Commission's activities will afford an opportunity for that systematic treatment of the material for which adequate opportunity has not hitherto been available, but which in dealing with conditions in Ireland is highly desirable.
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Irish Folk-lore. Nature 135, 425 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135425b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135425b0