Folkloric Cromwell

Abstract

Relatively little attention has been paid to Cromwell in Irish folklore, even though he is ubiquitous in Ireland’s National Folklore Collection, many accounts of which can be traced back through centuries. This chapter will offer a deeper look into the manifestations of Cromwell’s social memory in vernacular culture, from mummers’ plays through animal lore through the famous “curse of Cromwell.” It will also examine the transmission of Cromwell from oral to print culture and back again, and discuss the ways in which folklorists from Thomas Crofton Croker through Yeats either evaded or omitted him in their great collections. The National Folklore Collection will be explored as well, including Irish-language folk narratives regarding Cromwell. Finally, Cromwell in devil lore and supernatural legends, or in popular traditions more generally, will be examined, particularly through the lens of social order and subversion.