Showing All Silver and No Brass: An Irish Christmas Mumming by Henry H. Glassie

Irish Christmas mumming, the subject of this carefully researched and beautifully written book, is approached in Part I through the recollections of four old people of the hamlet of Ballymenone who recall the mumming from their youth. In Part II, the author examines the form and function of the mummers' play, showing that--contrary to the theories of some folklorists--it is not a truncated fragmen...