CELTIC STUDIES PUBLICATIONS
3 primary works
Book 3
This small volume aims to present the main themes of the early Irish church in an accessible manner to the scholar and the uninitiated alike. Carey avoids technical terms and effectively illustrates how the peculiarities and mysteries of Irish Christiantity enriched the rest of Christendom. The second edition has corrections and an updated bibliography.
Book 11
This is the first book-length study of the origins of the Grail legend to have been undertaken by a specialist in medieval Irish literature. Drawing on a detailed reexamination of the relevant texts in Irish, Welsh, Latin and French, extensive sections of which are presented in new translations, the author argues that the roots of the Grail legend are to be sought in the lost Old Irish manuscript known as the Book of Druimm Snechtai .
Book 21
This book is a study of the rich and fascinating traditions found early Irish literature concerning smiths and the fashioning of metal. The smith had a special status within the traditional societies of early Ireland and elsewhere in the Celtic-speaking world. The figure is associated with magic and the supernatural, as well as having special legal status, and a marginal and ambiguous position within the community. John Carey is an internationally known expert on Old Irish language and literature and includes here texts and translations of magical spells, incantations, and narratives connected with smiths and their craft.