Keeper of the Bees

Eimear Chaomhánach grew up in a beekeeping household in Dublin. As an undergraduate and postgraduate of Irish Folklore in UCD, she spent many years researching the lore of bees and beekeeping in Irish and international folk traditions. This work is the culmination of academic and field research, alongside very personal experiences as a beekeeper's daughter, shadowing her father's beekeeping practice for more than forty years. Eimear has worked in the arts and heritage sectors in Ireland for more than twenty years and is currently a director on the board of The Stinging Fly literary magazine.

Eimear Chaomhánach's beautifully presented and illustrated book, shares a gentle pride in her father's lifelong care of these essential creatures, delving into beekeeping etiquette and the folklore that surrounds the matriarchal communities which work tirelessly in an elegant illustration of self-sufficiency. It's the perfect read as we wait for winter's cold fingers to loosen their grip and allow spring to arrive

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgements IntroductionChapter One: The Work of the Honeybee Chapter Two: The Arrival of the Honeybee into Ireland Chapter Three: The Divinity of the Honeybee Chapter Four: Saint Gobnait, Patroness of the Bees Chapter Five: A Homage to Honey Chapter Six: Beeswax and Honeycomb Chapter Seven: Aristotle and the BeesChapter Eight: Telling the Bees Chapter Nine: Ringing a Swarm Chapter Ten: Bees as Omens of Luck and Misfortune Epilogue Bibliography