John Downing: Christmas is the one time of year when myth and magic can cool our inner cynic

I have long seen Christmas as the quintessential battle between two forces within ourselves: the cynic and the myth-lover.

featured-image

I have long seen Christmas as the quintessential battle between two forces within ourselves: the cynic and the myth-lover. Let’s take one prevalent Irish rural myth in the 19th and 20th centuries to examine that notion..