Mining Traditional Cosmology: Dúchas as an Alternative Nature–Culture Future

The Gaelic concept dúchas describes the traditional Irish relationship with the land. This chapter explores the potential use of dúchas in an Irish context for revisioning an alternative relationship with nature in local places in Ireland. The question is set within the theoretical framework of ‘Patchy Anthropocene’ which emphasises activism at a local rather than at a global scale. The case studies throughout are drawn from Irish mythology. Drawing on dúchas as an indigenous concept, the contribution examines the pre-colonial Irish relationship with nature and those elements which were lost during the processes of Anglicisation and colonisation. With reference to Jonathan Lear’s Radical Hope, this chapter argues that a re-investigation of a dúchas-rooted ontological framework would facilitate an alternative relationship with nature and one which would promote locality-based sustainable behaviour in specific places in Ireland. While the focus in this chapter is on the Irish context, the chapter argues that different places have their traditional cosmologies which could be mined to engender a closer relationship with nature and a greater appreciation of the role of humans in working towards a sustainable future.