One rough life, Ted Ashlaw: Adirondack lumber camp and barroom singer

Abstract

received knowledge to specific circumstances’ (234). The precarity of the fisherman’s trade is a central focus of this chapter and it comes as little surprise that the concept of danger is posited as one of the key reasons for the persistence of name avoidance practices over hundreds of years: ‘In the acutely unpredictable environment of the fisherman’s workplace, care must be taken not to upset the delicate balance of things, and avoidance was therefore the order of the day in the case of anything which might be suspect’ (240). The function of these practices is further elaborated in Chapter 6, ‘The naming-prohibitions and euphemisms at work’, in which the author examines the purpose served by the name avoidances by interpreting their role as ‘confidence builders and coping mechanisms’, as a means for encouraging focus and mental alertness while at sea, and as cultural markers of group identity (291–300). Cold Iron is an informed and insightful analysis of a previously under-researched topic in Irish folklore and it is sure to become a contemporary classic in Irish folklore studies and further afield. The book is beautifully designed by Red Dog and the maps, tables and graphs were compiled by Seán Ó Domhnaill of Media Services, University College Dublin. Photographs taken by the author and her colleagues of fishermen who participated in the study are interspersed with images from the photographic collection of the NFC and other archives. Profits and sales of this publication will be invested in conservation and publication of the National Folklore Collection, UCD.