Liz's Ireland Journal

Final Reflections 2013

I had an excellent group of students this summer in the Irish Storytelling Tradition.  Their final papers revealed the breadth and depth of what they learned about storytelling in general and Irish storytelling in particular.  Here are some excerpts from each of them:

Diana Lucente: I learned that seanchais are often folks otherwise thought to be uneducated and illiterate, but who are truly among some of the most intelligent and insightful and verbally talented individuals. They are incredible artists when it comes to the spoken word- for example, a turn of phrase, a description, or having a story for every occasion. Those who appreciate these masters of the oral tradition, such as storyteller Eddie Lenihan, are trying keep their stories and wisdom alive by listening, recording, and disseminating them to the public and attempting to preserve them for posterity.  Otherwise, these tales will be lost when their tellers pass away and our culture will be worse off for it. 

Ernestina Montoya: One of the most important things I think I learned from this class is appreciation – having  appreciation for where the stories came from and the culture they bring. Being able to have appreciation for the rich and unfamiliar practice and ways of the Irish people is important. When you have the appreciation you're able to have the skill to just listen and imagine.

Jamie Brewer: I learned that fairies and fey creatures exist as a product of the people telling the stories about them, shaped by their fears, hopes and beliefs. I was comparing them to ghost stories as a way of saying that they were ways to explain the unknown. I think, hearing that the fairies were derived from the Tuatha de Danann, that I was expecting direct parallels between them. But successive generations of Catholicism, poverty, superstition and to some degree demonization changed it to something altogether different. The host at the storytelling dinner I attended in Dublin explained it better though: it was the way by which people with very little control over their world were able to cope with it, and feel like they could get some control back.

Haley Maffia: I learned that the place where you tell your story really helps your performance and helps you get more comfortable. Your comfort is key because the more comfortable you are, the better your story will sound. I told a story in a pub and I personally think I did a better job there than in a classroom. I also noticed that I get very connected to my stories mainly because I am in Ireland and something about being on the soil and knowing the stories originated here makes me fall in love with them. Hopefully I can do the stories a justice when I am back home in Arizona. I also realized I like to be seated when telling a story because I am more relaxed that way.

Steve DesMarais:  The world needs more people to spread this tradition to ensure that new media doesn’t kill it. Such a rich tradition is still vibrant and well here in Ireland, although it isn’t as common as it once was. I fear that this tradition might become something that’s not as important to the children as new video games, and as television spreads to get their attention in new and exciting ways. While we should definitely enjoy these new fun things and continue to progress, it’s important that we don’t forget what has already been done. This way we don’t need to repeat and waste time when new and greater things can be inspired from the old materials of the past. 

Zach McKenzie:  I liked reading about how much a storyteller was valued back before electronic devices. Some of the articles we’ve been reading give accounts of people filling rooms to the brim just to hear one story. I liked learning that bards and storytellers would be greeted and showed such hospitality. I also liked that in that same article there was a storyteller who would tell serials each day he was there. I also learned that places are very important to storytelling. In almost all of the stories there is always a real setting in Ireland that corresponds to the story. Like in my second story I told it was set between Galway and Dublin. The Children of  Lir is set in multiple places in Ireland. It helps to give the audience a place that they might have passed just that day to help immerse them in the story.

Bayliann Livengood: History has always been one of my weakest subjects.  I find it boring and worthless. Yet, somehow, over the course of these last few weeks, I have learned a surprising amount of history through the stories I’ve heard, read, and told. Yes, most of it is fiction, or legends, but it’s still history, because it’s part of the land. It’s part of the people. I’ve never had a connection with a place that has historical relevance. I’ve been to Normandy, I’ve been to Pearl Harbor, but I’ve never felt a connection with those places like I do when I see a fairy tree, or another place that I read a story about. That makes it history in my eyes. Storytelling has been a tradition for a very long time, which also makes it history, but today’s world is changing fast, and with it, old time traditions are changing too. Reading the profile about Eddie Lenihan opened my eyes to a whole world of people dedicated to preserving the stories that have been told for decades, but are at risk of being lost with the generation of people who were here before handheld technology. Thankfully, it’s people with that burning passion, like Eddie Lenihan, who we owe for saving so many stories already. Before this class, I never would’ve known who Eddie was, what he stood for (in some cases literally, as we read in the other article about him), or that what he does is so important to the storytelling tradition.

Keely Parrish: I now know three stories and one poem well enough to tell:  Hudden and Dudden and Donald O’Neary, the Children of Lir, Fair Brown and Trembling, and the poem The Wind that Shakes the Barley.  This to me is the most important things that I learned during this class.  I can go home and share this with all of my family and all of my friends.  These stories are things that I hope to keep with me for the rest of my life and improve upon as time goes on.

Wendy Townsend: I can competently tell stories and you can still tell stories even if you have stage fright. I was very anxious when I first heard that we would be required to tell stories to our classmates. I have always suffered from pretty severe stage fright, so I was worried I would not be able to be a good storyteller. When Liz Weir came and spoke to our class, the point that stuck out the most to me was when she said that she experiences stage fright, but she is a professional storyteller anyway. You can still do it even if you have stage fright; in fact, Liz assured us that it actually helps lessen your stage fright. I am not sure about that last point, but I certainly agree with the rest. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I am perfectly capable of telling a good story to an audience.

At the top of the post: Ernestina Montoya, Jamie Brewer, me, Diana Lucente and Karen Acuna. 2nd photo: Haley Maffia and me at Trim. 3rd photo: Zack McKenzie and Steve DesMarais and Megan and Edward's birthday party. Last photo: Bayliann Livengood, Keely Parrish, Barry Vaughan, Wendy Townsend, and Karen Acuna at the same party.

Third Stories of 2013!

The students in The Irish Storytelling Tradition told their last stories in class on Wednesday, June 26^th.  I’m really proud of what they have achieved in four short weeks.  They are a talented group that just kept getting better.  They also write very well about their experiences. Here are excerpts from their reflections on their telling.

Diana Lucente: The story is taken from Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Mythology.  (I also found versions in Sean Sullivan's Folktales of Ireland and Richard Marsh's Irish King and Hero Tales.  The poem is by William Butler Yeats and is found in The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. Both story and poem remind one to appreciate the time that one has and not take it for granted. I enjoyed the story when I read it because of the line that the young woman, representative of Youth, says to each of the older men of the Fianna: "You had me once, but you will never have me again".  It is so poignant a statement but absolutely true:  Youth can never be regained.  The Yeats poem refers to loss of youth in its first line, and the soft, reminiscent, somewhat melancholy feeling of the poem was something that appealed to me even when I was young (the first time I read it was at the age of 19).  Being older, I feel my youth slipping through my hands and the stories are good reminders to make the most of every moment because one can never go back.

Ernestina Montoya: I told the story Tom Moore and the Seal Women Irish tales of Fairies and the Ghost World by Jeremiah Curtin. I went about preparing for the story by reading and skimming trough the story a couple of times to get the feel for it. I then made a story board with only the main details I needed to remember. The story was important to me because it’s such a popular type of mythical story told in Irish storytelling so it was fun to tell my own version of it. 

 

 

Haley Maffia: I told the story, The Field of Boliauns from Irish Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. This story is important to me because I really wanted to tell a story about a leprechaun. Coming to Ireland, I assumed there would be a lot more stories about leprechauns and I was surprised to see that there wasn’t. I learned that leprechauns are not the nice little men Americans are told they are. They are actually very sneaky and tricky. This story teaches that you should not be blinded by greed and you should never trust a leprechaun. I also learned that I don’t worry as much anymore when I get in front of my audience. In the beginning of this class, I was really nervous, and now it’s more enjoyable and I get a sense of adrenaline when everyone is listening to my story.

Jamie Brewer: I told “Lugh and Balor (The Battle of Magh Tuireadh) from Of Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Augusta Gregory. This was the first "real" exposure I had to Irish mythology, by way of Diane Duane's book (modern fantasy writer), and I wanted to learn as much as I could about the real story. I'm becoming of the mind that Celtic mythology deserves to be taught alongside Greek and Norse myth. (On the other hand, I'm almost annoyed at the idea of the Tuatha de Dannan being subsumed by modern fairies, perhaps partly because of the influence of Christianity, because the diminished stature of the fairies doesn't fit with the nobility and heroics of the TDD.) I found it interesting to learn where Duane took creative license with the mythology, blending some elements from the mythology together where it fit her own themes and cosmology. In my free time I plan to read the rest of the Mythological cycle stories I can get my hands on; for time reasons I had to focus mainly on the parts I planned to use.

Keely Parrish: I recited “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”, by Katherine Tynan. For this telling I chose to recite a poem because I love poetry so much I thought it would be fun.  Little did I realize that memorizing is far more difficult than learning a story to tell in one’s own words.  I read the poem through about four times out loud and started trying to say it without looking at the book, I repeated the lines like a parrot until they rolled off of my tongue easier, and I even did exercises with Wendy to better learn the words.  I paced the kitchen and my room to try to keep a tempo while I spoke and in the end if I didn’t think about it I could tell it just fine. 

 

Wendy Townsend: This week I decided to recite a poem rather than tell a story. The poem I chose was “The Easter Rising” by John F. McCullagh. I found it online at PoemHunter.com (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-easter-rising/). As soon as I read this poem online, I knew I wanted to tackle it for class. I know a bit about the Easter Rising and knew how important it was in Irish history. This poem speaks eloquently about the subject and I thought it was just beautiful. Beyond that, it had such depth and covered the events expertly.

 

 

Steve DesMarais: The story was “Willy the Wisp”, and I got the story from Henry Glassie's Folktales of Ireland. I prepared the story entirely in my head. I didn't do a storyboard or anything like that since I get more out of reading a story slowly, and retelling it in my head. I suppose it's a gift I've found out of my laziness. The story had an impact on me since it was like an old “Devil Went Down to Georgia” tale. I love stories that have normal men defeating the devil through wit, or skill. The story is important to me since there is always evil in the world or skill and the story isn't about avoiding evil, but rather challenging it, and while it's not a morally correct thing to do, Willy still for the most part gets to win.

 

Zach McKenzie: The story I told is called the Cow that Ate the Piper. I found the story in Folktales of Ireland edited by Sean O’Sullivan. The story was important to me because I like this sort of "misunderstanding" story. I also think it’s important because it’s funny. The story telling experience was enjoyable to me. I think this story I was the most confident telling. I felt like I had better eye contact and I had less ums and breaks while I was telling it. I also felt like I didn’t rush the story either. I learned that for this story I had to tell it in my own words because there was a lot of dialogue.

 

Bayliann Livengood: Today, we told our third and final story for our Study Abroad Ireland Storytelling class. I chose to tell “The Queen of the Planets” which Liz recommended to me last week. I read it in Folktales of Ireland by Sean O’Sullivan and did a story repertoire but decided not to tell it last week because I wanted something shorter. When it came time to tell my story, I was more nervous than I have been previously, because I hadn’t been sleeping well in the previous nights and was worried I was going to forget something or mess it up as a result. However, once I got into the flow of the story, it went well and at the end I received many compliments on my use of language, space, and actions. I plan on taking all of these stories home and repeating them to family and friends back in Phoenix, and hopefully as I tell it my knowledge of the story will improve, which in turn, will improve my performance of it.

 

 

 

 

Summer in Ireland

Summer in Ireland this year was from June 1^st to June 9^th – nine days of clear skies, bright sunshine, and (for them) high temperatures of up around 75 degrees. Everyone, including me, took advantage of it to be outside.

On Saturday the 8^th, Barry and I drove to Ballinderry Castle, a Gaelic Norman tower house just south of Tuam in County Galway to see the sheela-na-gig there.  According to the County Galway Guide, “The Norman de Burgos built Ballinderry between 1450 and 1500. They were said to be 'more Irish than the Irish' and adopted Irish laws, dress, language and architecture. Ballinderry was a moated castle on the shores of a lough that has since disappeared.”

The tendency of the de Burgos and other Gaelic Norman lords to adopt all things Irish may be why this sheela-na-gig is surrounded by Celtic symbols, which makes her unique among her sisters. The other unusual thing about this sheela is that she has something flowing between her legs.  Barbara Frietag, author of Sheela-Na-Gigs: Unravelling an Enigma, believes that sheela-na-gigs are related to childbirth and interprets it as an afterbirth.  The first time I saw it I thought of Queen Maeve, who gets her period at the end of the Cattle Raid of Cooley. That is probably because I had just told that story!

 

On Sunday the 8^th I spent the day with Jackie Gorman. We first went to a wild forest park in Portlick right on Lough Ree for a walk, and then back to Athlone for dinner followed by an evening of Taize singing.  

Entire years can go by in Ireland without a week of sun like we had during these days.  All day Sunday, Jackie was wondering if it would be the last day of summer.  And in fact, we haven’t had any completely sunny days since then.  

Pictures from the top: Ballinderry Castle, the Ballinderry Sheela-na-Gig, Barry in correct relation to the goddess above the door, Jackie Gorman and a magnificent oak, Lough Ree through the branches of the forest, the Lough Ree rescue boat on the Shannon in Athlone, a filly we met at Ballinderry, and me on the Shannon in the sun with a Guinness!

Second Stories

The students in my Irish Storytelling Tradition class, shown above with their pipe-cleaner Brigid’s crosses, told their second stories last Wednesday, June 19^th.  They all did very good jobs of both selecting stories that fit their personalities and then telling them naturally and in their own voices. Here are some excerpts from their reviews:

Bayliann Livengood: “Today I told a very short story called “Seán na Scuab”, which I read in Folktales of Ireland, a series of stories collected by Sean O’Sullivan.”  Bayli also wrote:  “The more I learn about the Irish Storytelling Tradition, the more I like it, and while I’m not sure I will ever be able to devote my life to it like some people do, I enjoy being a part of something that is unusual in today’s world, and seeing that there are still people who know how to see the world and the people in it without looking through a glass screen makes me proud.”

Zach McKenzie: “For my story I told The Shadow of the Glen by John Millington Synge.  I chose this story because it starts out creepy and there is a twist at the end when the guy gets up to catch his wife. I liked that when the traveler is more concerned about shelter than a dead guy on a table. I also liked the story because it shows some humor with the dead guy tricking his wife.”

Diana Lucente:  “The story I told was "The Blood Drawing Ghost" from Mairtin O'Griofa's collection, Famous Irish Ghost Stories”.  Diana reflected, “I think I got a sense of what it could be like to be a storyteller- to feel that comfortable and just get into the telling so that it's an enjoyable experience for all involved.”

Ernestina Montoya: “The story I told was ‘The Man with no Story’ from Henry Glassie’s Folktales of Ireland. I liked the story because I kind of feel that I don't really have a story to tell either even though so much happens to me.”

Haley Maffia: “My story was “The Strange Gardener” from the book More Irish Fairy Tales by Sinead de Valera. I really enjoyed my experience and I can’t wait to tell these stories to my students. I picked most of my stories to entertain my students and if it entertains adults, it should work with my students as well.”

Jamie Brewer told “The Four Brothers” from Whisht: Irish Traveler Folktales and Songs (http://www.paveepoint.ie/pdf/WhishtBooklet.pdf ). About her interest in Travelers, Jamie wrote:  “My interest in the Travelers is mostly a romantic one, and mostly by way of the Roma. I did a bunch of research on the Roma a while ago for an art project. I think the general idea of a nomadic lifestyle is enviable, the folk art intriguing and the fact they're persecuted regrettable.”

Keely Parrish: “Today I told the story of “Fair, Brown, and Trembling” that I found in Myths and Folktales of Ireland collected by Jeremiah Curtin. The more I learn about how traditional storytelling is dying off the happier I am that I get the chance to learn about it.  I am not sure if I will go on to be a professional storyteller but I hope to carry on the spirit of the tradition to my family back home and my children if I ever have them.” 

Wendy Townsend: The version of the story (“Finn and the Doe”) that I told this time came from a book called The High Deeds of Fin MacCool by Rosemary Sutcliff. I liked this story because it was romantic and had elements of magic in it. All my favorite stories include those aspects. Of course the Irish stories I choose to tell would have them too. I hope to go home and regale my friends and family with both “Maureen Rua” and “Finn and the Doe”.”

Steve DesMarais:  “The story was "The Cold May Night" I found it in Sean O'Sullivan's book, Folktales of Ireland. Even in the short amount of time I have spent here I can see the uniqueness of the Irish Storytelling Tradition, and how important it is not just for Ireland, but for the whole of the world. It's something that will keep true fantasy alive, and should be guarded more than gold.” 

In the picture, front row left to right are Haley Maffia, Ernestina Montoya, and Wendy Townsend.  The back row has Diana Lucente, Jamie Brewer, Bayliann Livengood, Keely Parrish, Zack McKenzie, and Steve DesMarais.

Got Gundestrup?

I was, as they say, gasping for a cup of tea at the National Museum in Dublin on Friday.  I was following the signs to the café, when I came around the corner and saw the Gundestrup Cauldron.   Not what I was expecting to see to say the least – last I’d heard it was in Copenhagen!  My mind was spinning . . . I can’t believe the Danes would let it out of the country.  What’s it doing in Dublin and why isn’t that big news? Where were the banners on the outside of the museum announcing it?  Why didn’t I know about it?

Finally I calmed down enough to look at the label, and sure enough, it’s a replica. When I told Barry about it later he told me it’s been there a long time.  I don’t know how I missed it before, but it was a huge treat to see it.  It’s an astonishingly compelling vessel.  I would love to know how it was replicated.  As so often happens with things only seen in pictures, I had no idea of the real scale of the object. I had always imagined it about a foot across and maybe 8 inches high, when in reality it’s over double that in both dimensions.

The cauldron was found in a bog in Denmark in 1891, and is generally estimated to have been made between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It is an invaluable source of information on Celtic mythic iconography.  The interactive video display at the museum explained the gods and goddesses represented in terms of their functions – goddess of war, goddess of death, etc. Some scholars believe that the images relate to Queen Medb and the Cattle Raid of Cooley. The big bull in the base of the bowl is the Brown Bull of Cooley.  The goddess figure with a man over each shoulder is Medb with her lover Fergus and her husband Ailill.  The goddess with the birds above her shoulder is Medb as Morrigan.

Here is the shot I took of Medb with lover and husband.  Below that is probably the best known panel which shows Cernunnos, or maybe Cuchulainn.

A Day in Dublin

 

On Friday, June 21, we all took the train over to Dublin.  Barry and I only stayed the day, and Bob came back on Saturday.  All but two of the students stayed for the whole weekend and by all accounts they had a blast. The picture at the bottom is the group in front of Desmond Kinney’s magnificent ceramic mural of the life of Cuchulainn at the Setanta Carpark off Nassau Street.

We stopped first at the Abbey Court Hostel so the students could drop off their bags.  Wendy Townsend took this picture of us there.  Barry then took us all to the National Museum on Kildare Street, and I wandered around there for an hour or so looking to see if they had any of their sheela-na-gigs on display (they didn’t). Then I made my annual pilgrimage to Hodges Figgis Bookstore on Dawson Street and made tribute.

The highlight of my day was meeting Jack Lynch (above) for lunch at Dunne and Crescenzi, a well-known Italian restaurant on Frederick Street. We were joined by his friend, Eibhlin Evans, a professor of literature for many years in England, and for the last four before she retired at University College Dublin.  She operates the Flying Book Club, where the workshop that I did for the Storytellers of Ireland in 2011 was held.

Jack had just returned from attending the annual meeting of FEST (the Federation for European Storytelling) in Rome. FEST is a relatively new organization, conceived of in 2001 with the first conference in 2008, and it was fascinating to hear about some of the challenges faced by the delegates in creating a multi-national organization.  And, yes, it was even better to hear some of the gossip.

I caught the 5:10 train out of Heuston Station and was back in Athlone by 7:00. At the Tullamore Station there was a full pipe band playing for some unknown person or reason!

Bad News for Athlone

I got an email last week from Gael Bradbury and Garry Hughes, the owners of the Olive Grove Restaurant in Athlone, saying that they were closing their beautiful restaurant on Custume Pier of the River Shannon in the center of town. Here is the first paragraph of Gael's letter to her customers:

I have tears on my eyes as I write this, but also a huge sense of relief that the decision has been made for us. Our bank is calling in their loan as we are unable to meet our commitments to them .
Were we foolish to have moved to our new premises 6 years ago ?...at the time it seemed like the most logical and sensible  thing to do . Do we regret the decision?....NO.   We had 6 years in the most amazing location, that at times frustrated the hell out of us  (a water leak that would mysteriously start streaming down form the ceiling for hours  ......in winter , the wind howling through the windows ) But the play of light on the water and the stunning sunsets behind the church, everyday I appreciated them and was thankful that I worked in such a lovely place.We were 120 % sure it would work, but who knew what was around the corner?,...fundamentally we just paid too much.

This is such a loss for the town. The Olive Grove was my go-to place when I wanted a good meal in a stunning location. Looking out the arched windows diners had a fantastic view of the castle, the church, and the bridge. There was no time of day that wasn't beautiful, although late evening with the lights reflecting on the water was pretty magical.  Liz Weir and I went their twice while she was here the week before.  The picture at the top is from the dinner we had with our friends from the Atlantic Corridor in 2011 after the Kilbeggan Races.

Although there is talk about the beginnings of an Irish economic recovery, something like this shows how precarious it still is for business owners.  They will be sorely missed.

Child of the Solstice

We were all on the bus ready to leave Loughcrew, the Sliabh na Callighe, the Hill of the Hag, when our stalwart bus driver Tom Kirwan asked, “Did you see the monument they put up to old Mick”?  Mick Tobin was a fixture in the car park at Loughcrew.  He’d been there every time I’d been there starting in 2005 except in 2011, the year that he died.  He was a local man who knew all the stories of the place and was passionate about Loughcrew.  When Carol Kearney came in 2006, she had a long talk with him.

I jumped out of the bus to look at the stone and saw that the poem had been written by George Knight.  George Knight was an Office of Public Works guide at Loughcrew for many years, and he too was passionate about “The Hill”. My understanding of the place was significantly deepened and enhanced by his knowledge.  I’ll never forget the time we were inside Cairn T, the largest and most elaborately decorated of the passage tombs on the site.  He told us that we were inside the living body of the goddess, and he described how the sun came in the passage on the equinoxes to fill her with light and life.  He said that these magnificent places represented the very beginning of religion in Ireland.

George retired a couple of years ago, and I had really been missing him during our visit on this day. The guides that are currently serving are very friendly, but neither of them have George’s deep knowledge – or if they do they don’t have his ability to share it.

George’s dedicatory poem to Mick Tobin is filled with references to Loughcrew.  Mick, who was born on the summer solstice, must have been conceived at the Autumn Equinox, one of the times that light fills the chamber at Cairn T.

Here is the text of the poem:

Child of the Solstice

 

We left you dancing at your party,

surrounded by your friends and neighbours.

Speeches tugged at heartstring,

a life well lived described with eloquence.

You danced a jig before us all,

years slipped away.

A young man looking out on a long future.

That old devil Father Time tied,

trussed and helpless in the corner,

His presence not recognized.

The Old women became like the young girls

they once had been in your presence.

The tilted back their heads,

Grey locks became the golden hair of Youth.

All life spread out,

A feast to be enjoyed and we are dining still.

We jested, laughed and sang

and still enjoyed the power of The Hill.

When you were conceived ninety years ago,

the Cairn on Loughcrew

With sunlight filled the Autumn Equinox.

A child of Summer Solstice born and

that sunlight around you shining still.

 

George R. Knight, June 2008

In Memory of Mick Tobin 1918-2011

The picture at the top shows Carol Kearney and Mick Tobin in 2006

The last picture is Mick's monument. 

I’ve written about Loughcrew in the Ireland Journal several times before: http://irelandjournal.typepad.com/lizs_ireland_journal/2007/06/st_patrick_and_.html

http://irelandjournal.typepad.com/lizs_ireland_journal/2008/06/there-really-ar.html

http://irelandjournal.typepad.com/lizs_ireland_journal/2009/06/the-goddess-of-rocky-places.html

 

 

Etain Makes an Appearance

While Liz Weir was visiting my class on June 6^th, there was a very large purplish horsefly  buzzing all around the room.  I immediately thought of Etain, the beautiful woman who was turned into a purple or scarlet fly by the jealous wife of Etain’s lover.  I always think of that story when I see a horsefly, but to see one during a storytelling session made me think, “Oh! That’s Etain asking to be told!” 

I’ve wanted to tell the story for a long time – it’s very beautiful and romantic.  It’s also long and complicated and I’m pretty sure I don’t understand it. First of all, what kind of fly was she?  When I first read the story, it just said “fly”.  So, I imagined a large horsefly like the one in the room when Liz was telling.  It evokes for me Jeff Goldblum stepping naked into the chamber that will change him forever.  But most images of Etain show either a butterfly or a dragonfly, both of which do seem like a better fit for a beautiful woman.   

It would take a lot of research to get it ready to tell, but I think I ‘m going to take it on. One of my students this summer, Haley Maffia, told a lovely fairytale version of it and I was even more inspired. Haley, of course, imagined Etain as a large purple butterfly.

Click on “Play Audio for Etain” button at this link http://www.babynamesofireland.com/etain to hear the pronunciation a gloss of the story.

The image at the top comes from http://wordslikewine.deviantart.com/art/Etain-5663594

The image at the bottom comes from http://www.carrowkeel.com/art/prints/etain.html

Making a Place Where Stories Can Be Shared

It’s a tradition for Liz Weir to visit my class during Study Abroad Ireland’s annual sojourn in Athlone, and she visited us on June 6^th. This was the 8^th group of students she’s met in the Irish Storytelling Tradition. She is the only storyteller who has told to every group.  Liz’s place in the world of Irish Storytelling is unique and important.  She’s been telling stories for over 30 years and is the founder of the Yarnspinners organization that now has several chapters around the country. She’s written dozens of books, organized countless festivals and events, and has told in a wider range of venues than any other storyteller I know.  She has a deep understanding of the importance of storytelling as a human endeavor.  Her storytelling exemplifies the less dramatic, but no-less powerful, style of Irish storytelling. In addition to being one of Ireland’s most recognizable storytellers, she is very well known internationally as well.

She told several stories including “Mary and the Red Dress” and “The Rathlin Island Fairy Story”.  She also told the one about the hired girl who is rescued by her dead father, the beautiful collaborative story by a group of nine year olds about a family that comes back to their ancestral home, plus several others to illustrate storytelling techniques.

The students were as deeply impressed by her lecture as they were by her telling. Here are some of the highlights of what she imparted to them:

• She reminded them that there is no such thing as an Irish accent. “It changes every ten miles.”
• In talking about less technological times and the importance of storytelling: “There was no television.  People actually sat around at table and talked.”
• She said people tell stories to “teach a lesson, share history, for entertainment, and to get to know each other better.”
• About herself she said, “I learned to overcome my shyness and become a professional storyteller.  It’s one of the best things to build confidence and self-esteem.”
• She emphasized the importance of seeing the pictures of the story in your head instead of trying to memorize the words.  To illustrate, she taught them the story of “Two legs, three legs, no legs, and four legs”.
• She emphasized aspects of the ethos of storytelling that have influenced many of the storytellers of our generation:
  • “You have to get it into your heads that it’s not competition. Everyone tells a story in his or her own way.”
  • “Find out who you are and what stories suit you.”
  • “You need passion for storytelling.  Your listeners must believe that you are enjoying what you are doing – never an off day!”
  • “Sometimes people’s performances get in the way of the story. The best storyteller is the one whose story you remember long after you forget the face of the teller.”
  • She told them not to panic when they made a mistake, and when she herself made a small error a little later in a story she said, “Bet you don’t think any less of me!”
  • She told us how she got started in storytelling after meeting Bob Gash in 1984.  She learned from him that people were making a living telling stories.  From 1976 to 1990, she was the Children’s Librarian in Belfast during the Troubles.  There were bombings and shootings every day.  At one point she was managing 60 storytelling sessions a week all over Belfast.  She hired and trained students to conduct the sessions. This experience explains in part how she knows so deeply the power of storytelling to promote understanding. She told us that the healing power of story has to do with the interaction between people that storytelling can engender.
  • And finally, she urged us all to “make a place where stories can be shared and trust can be developed.”

Liz Weir has devoted her life to that goal.

In the picture from left to right are Wendy Townsend, Bayliann Livengood, Keely Parrish, Liz Weir, Steve DesMarais, Megan McDermott, Haley Maffia, Zach McKenzie, Ernestina Montoya, Jamie, Brewer, Karen Acuna, and Diana Lucente