We
heard the first set of stories in The Irish Storytelling Tradition on
Wednesday, June 12. They did a great job of picking stories that suited them
and other than a few nerves, they enjoyed the telling. I was pleased with the diversity of stories,
and also with how well they supported each other in the feedback.
Here’s what was told:
- Ernestina Montoya told “Fairy Money” from Meeting the Other Crowd by Eddie Lenihan.
- Haley Maffia told “The Story of Etain” from More Irish Fairy Tales by Sinéad de Valera.
- Bayliann Livengood told “The Fairy Frog” from Meeting the Other Crowd by Eddie Lenihan.
- Wendy Townsend told “Maureen Rua”. I know it from Erica Hel Meade’s book, The Moon in the Well, and also from a book by Kevin Danaher but we don’t have either of those books available here. She found a Youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-P37uLwmnc of Claire McNicol http://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk/directory/Tellerview.asp?key=16 telling it and learned it that way. I met Claire the very first time I went to Liz Weir’s storytelling festival at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in 2005.
- Keely Parrish told “Hudden, Dudden, and Donald O’Neary from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.
- Zack McKenzie told “Refereeing a Fairy Hurling Match” from Meeting the Other Crowd by Eddie Lenihan.
- Steve DesMarais told “Daniel Crowley and the Ghosts” from Folktales of Ireland by Henry Glassie.
- Diana Lucente told “The Children of the Salmon” from a book of the same name by Eileen O'Faolain.
- Jamie Brewer told “Cormacke Raver O’Murphy” from Stand and Deliver: Stories of IrishHighwayman by Jim McCallen.
It’s been fun to watch them begin to understand that fairies are not the adorable little winged creatures of modern American movies and children’s books.
In the first picture are Haley Maffia, Bayliann Livengood, and Ernestina Montoya. The second picture shows Wendy Townsend, Zack McKenzie, and Keely Parrish. The third shows Diana Lucente, Steve DesMarais, and Jamie Brewer.