The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit

I cannot write enough about how much I loved this book. In fact, I read it more than once, which is rare for me unless the book in question involves reference materials. This book is a journey through Ireland, a journey through one woman's quest to discover who she truly was from the point of view of her spiritual and physical roots. It is a rich, captivating story that encouraged me to delve more deeply into my own Irish roots and spirituality. I adore this author and miss her physical presence on this earth very much. When she passed across the veil, we lost a bright and beautiful soul.

Some books have a life of their own and cannot be ignored. Long after you finished reading the last page, something about the book will return to you; an image or perhaps a phrase; possibly an entire sequence will be recalled in solitude. Words, like music, have a resonance that lasts long after the initial encounter. Such a book is Patricia Monaghan's The Red Haired Girl from the Bog. As a travel memoir, it is splendid; as a history book it is marvelous. But on a deeper level it is a magnificent essay, at once lyrical and moving. This book has resonance and because of its quality I know I will return to it again. Celtic myths, fairy woman, mystical places that speak to visitors, fog-shrouded landscapes that are so much more than they appear, sunlit fields and the voices of poets calling from the past. Monaghan's journey is captivating, compelling, and like all good stories, just a shade frightening. Exploring the Celtic myths and legends, interspersed with narratives about her many trips to Ireland, I found myself unable to set the book aside. Her book has that rare quality of taking the reader along for the trip, an accomplishment that only the best writers can manage. This book is subtitled "The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit" and I cannot think of a better, concise description of what you will find in its 295 magical pages. A toast then, to Patricia Monaghan, and may the Muse never leave her side.

Ms Monaghan is not only an author, but also a poet and utilizes that skill within this book. While I wished to turn page to find what she might describe next; I, also, wished each page unending. Almost as if I felt I might loose the descriptions I'd just read if I moved forward.Rarely does a book touch me so. Could be I'm Irish? That helped I'm sure to entice me with stories and details, but the messages within the book were priceless to me.Her vivid story telling of Ireland, Celtic myths, Catholic practices and a rather mindful blending of the Pagan/Catholic or Protestant viewpoints in Ireland were incredible. How delightful to read about various customs and practices being combined so utterly!The descriptions of rituals..even small and discreet and of sacred caves, etc would give anyone a valuable viewpoint on Celtic folk lore.Diverse in delivery, Ms Monaghan can describe something as small as a puddle with such essence and clarity that you feel you've stepped in one right along beside her!She even manages to tackle the subject of fairies in such a way that is imaginative, steeped in lore, fantastic while also being modern, comprehensive and understandable. For the first time - ever - I read about fairies and didn't raise an eyebrow thinking the author must be sipping mugwort tincture.It's a down-to-earth-style bejeweled with imagery and poetry to enrich the spirit and feed the soul. Her friends and new folks she meets in her travels are witty and fun, enticing and intelligent.So if Celtic lore in Ireland, a blending of Pagan/Catholic/Protestant ideals and unforgettable mental pictures are to your liking...read The Red-Haired Girl From The Bog.Allow yourself the pure luxury of settling deep within the imagery and wisdom of this book. The lessons therein are subtle but exquisite indeed!Enjoy...

The Red-Haired Girl From The Bog: The Landscape Of Celtic Myth And Spirit by Celtic history expert Patricia Monaghan is a spiritual voyage through the countryside of Ireland, exploring the intermeshing aspects of folklore, goddess worship, Celtic ceremony, and Christian faith. A thoughtful and deeply reverent viewpoint of a land steeped in tradition and lore, The Red-Haired Girl From The Bog is especially recommended for Celtic Mythology and Irish History reference collections and reading lists.

Beloved women's spirituality author Patricia Monaghan does it yet again with _The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog_, once more demonstrating to me why she's one of my favorite religious authors. Her focus here is Ireland, and its goddesses, whose myths are intimately connected with the landscape. After all, the country itself *is* named after a goddess...Monaghan traveled to Ireland for the first time in her early adulthood, in search of her Irish roots. She was so moved by the experience that she has returned many times. And in this book, she takes us on a "tour" of what she has experienced in her journeys. We travel vicariously to the rock said to be the Cailleach, the field where Macha ran, Medb's burial mound, and the shrine of Brigid at Kildare, where the sacred fire has recently been lit again. But lest you think this is just fluff, Monaghan does not ignore the bad stuff either. Woven together with her beautiful spiritual experiences and warm friendships are the dark threads of the Troubles, the potato famine, and the English invasion, which forever haunt Ireland. And also, there are the personal tragedies. Some of Monaghan's friends have died over the years, ahd she pays them tribute here. The result is a book by turns uplifting, melancholy, and sometimes riotously funny, but always emotionally moving. Read this book if you are interested in Ireland--a land which, like the Cailleach, has survived against the odds.

Voluptuous, sensuous, at times filled with unparalleled humor and wit, Patricia Monaghan's writing saturates the reader with the spirit of wide-eyed discovery, good Celtic mischief, prayer flags at holy wells, and sacred teaching--not just of the ancient past, but just as much from the 'ancient future' of the Irish soul. There are many books on Irish history, and books about the Irish landscape, but none convey the living soulscape of our ancient mother, Eire, like The Red-Haired Girl From the Bog.--Frank MacEowen, author of The Mist-Filled Path