Storytelling in Ireland is a phonemonom which has been around for centuries.(Joyce,1906) Netplaces,2011 agrees with Joyces oppinion on this topic, Storytelling is as old as speech (Chan ,1987)
According to Zimmerman (2005) Ireland has a long tradition of storytelling. That is perhaps why I have such yen for it. My mother's mother was of Irish Canadian descent. Gramma's family, the Fitzsimmons, came from the "Olde Sod" up around Portaferry and I remember how she used to tell us kids stories whenever we visited. With her fiery red hair and enchanting voice, she would entertain us kids with tales of heroic warriors, the "Little People" and tales of the common people in the old country. Unfortunately, I do not recall any of the stories but the magic memories of them linger on. (Zimmerman,2005)
. Storytelling contains two compounds (words) story and telling. These are both defined by Williams (1998) and can be seen below.
What is a Story?
“Most dictionaries define a story as a narrative account of a real or imagined event or events. Within the storytelling community, a story is more generally agreed to be a specific structure of narrative with a specific style and set of characters and which includes a sense of completeness. Through this sharing of experience we use stories to pass on accumulated wisdom, beliefs, and values. Through stories we explain how things are, why they are, and our role and purpose. Stories are the building blocks of knowledge, the foundation of memory and learning. Stories connect us with our humanness and link past, present, and future by teaching us to anticipate the possible consequences of our actions.” McWilliams(1998)What is a telling?
“It is the live, person-to-person oral and physical presentation of a story to an audience. "Telling" involves direct contact between teller and listener. It mandates the direct presentation of the story by the teller. The teller's role is to prepare and present the necessary language, vocalization, and physicality to effectively and efficiently communicate the images of a story. The listener's role is to actively create the vivid, multi-sensory images, actions, characters, and events---the reality---of the story in their mind based on the performance by the teller, and on their past experiences, beliefs, and understandings. The completed story happens in the mind of the listener, unique and personal for each individual. “McWilliams (1998)
The preceived heritage of Irish stories and stories need to be reguarded together. The tradition of Irish storytelling is reguarded as being a grand tradition in Ireland (O Crualoch in Buttimer,Rynne and Guerin,2000).
According to O Crualoch in Buttimer,Rynne and Guerin (2000) The image associatedd with the sceanachi in Ireland is inevitably male, as in the Eamon Kelly version and this vesion is reptete with caubean,duidin and pecnhant for spitting into the fire (O Crualoch in Buttimer,Rynne and Guerin (2000).
Henry Glassie is also associated with tradition of Irish storytelling. Glassie is said to detail with ‘heritage issues involved with the tradition of Irish storytelling and that he is more universally involved in the framework to a continiual renewal and re-creation of human understanding. He is also involved in the intensidification of life experience out f course of daily round (O Crualoch in Buttimer,Rynne and Guerin (2000).
Preservation of this key part of Irish Heritage?
Outlined in a chapter of The Heritage of Ireland by Currachloach entitle ‘The
According to Chan,1987, “Once upon a time, everyone was a storyteller. To fight boredom and keep themselves company, these early storytellers chanted as they worked, telling the story of what they were doing. Then "I" stories became narratives involving other people and the elements, and storytellers told tales of heros, myths, and legends. The art of storytelling evolved naturally because some people preferred telling tales and other preferred listening to them” (Chan,1987).
According to Delaney (1982) there are many different examples of Irish storytellers. Delaney (1982) has written on midland storytellers. In this article Delaney (1982) describes the storytellers Willie Roche,John Kenny and Bill Egan. These were all sceanachi of the twenieth century in Ireland.Delaney discusses the work of each of these sceanachi seperately. (Delaney,1982).
Storytelling developed along with societies. This view is supported by Chan,1987 in the quotation
“As society developed, people wanted to keep a historical account of events. The storyteller occupied an honoured position and his role was very important. Tribes competed to see who could tell the best stories, which led to exaggerated imaginary tales of elaborate heroic feats. Gradually, some stories featured animals to satirize tribal events. By using animals, storytellers could make fun of kings and chieftans without fear of retribution.” (Chan,1987)
)Netplaces adds that Ireland has one of the richest foklore traditions in the world”(netplaces,2011). Beiner(2001) describes O’Sillubhean’s a Handbook of Irish Folklore as being instrumental in standerising the collection of folklore in Ireland, a genre which includes oral stories.(Beiner,2001)
According to Neville (2010) the myth in storytelling serves a very different purpose to those of parables and fables. The myth serves the function of describing the universe to cite some of the examples mentioned by Neville in her article intitled Storytelling and Mythology.
Glassie (1982) classifies stories which he collected into different genres.An example of this can be seen in one of Glassie’s books where he classifies stories into genres such as people,life and stories of other cultures (Neville,2010). This is a key point when it comes to storytelling as the story needs to fit into a cewrtain genre in order to be told in a certain place.
Tony Cuckson, an Irish Storyteller invites people to “claim your Irish heritage through stories and songs and blessings.”(Tony Cuckson,2004-09).
Storytelling can be seen as being part of Ireland’s social history. According to Joyce (1906) Storytelling has formed part of the following sectors in Ireland When mentioning Storytelling in Ireland, according to Joyce,1906,there is often reference to the following areas.Treating of the Government, Military System, and Law; Religion, Learning and Art; Trades, Industries, and Commerce; Manners, Customs, and Domestic Life, of the Ancient Irish People’ (Joyce,1906)
An article intitled The History of Storytelling(anon) states that people used crude language in order convey everydaty deeds and ideas to one another, In historical times some imaginative people in a tribe began using their own words to tel; stories of the events that happened to them. For example these people would tell stories of their hunts to the other people in their tribe. (O’Cadhain,2008). This provided the people at this time with entertainment. It is possible that storytelling was the only type of entertainment available to people in this era.
Storytelling has links with Irish Folklore.Folklore is viewed by Scott (1984) as being the origins of many stories, especially those stories which involved Faries and Folk (Scott,1984).Beiner (2001) shows how storytelling and folklore are linked and how the collection of folklore became standerised into methods which are used by Folklorists in modern day Ireland.This can been seen in Sean O’Suilleabhan’s A Handbook of Irish Folklore. This book is viewed to have been the turning [point for the collection of Folklore and oral stories in Ireland. The book is viewed to have been the point when the collection of folklore in Ireland became standardised. (Beiner,2001)
The research which has been carried out in Storytelling clarrifies and deepens the knowledge of how people resolve more paradoxes triggered in the mind (Arnould and Wallendorf,1994;Fourier,1998, Shrank,1990). Storytelling research also allows for a more holsic view how initial balanced views become unbalanaced (Moore,1985).Kelly J. (unknown) states that there are fault lines that can be seen between oral tradition and a modern print culture. This Kelly states is incrediable evident in irish and British Literature. He states that this was quite evident during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. (Kelly J., Unknown)
According to the BBC NI website the Storyteller tales as there called can be placed within the catgory of Ordinary Folktales. These Ordinary folktales can be defined as being supernatural legends (BBC NI,2011) One suggestion fot the decline of the tradion of Storytelling is the change in language in Ireland from Irish to English. This occoured at a time when society was also changing (BBC NI,2011).
According to the BBC NI website there are two traits which a successful storyteller must have. These traits are a good memory and a good style of telling the story (BBC NI,2011). The storyteller was also abe to build a rapport with their audince (BBC NI,2011). The article suggesting this information entitled An Introduction to Storytelling Myth and Legend ia suggested to be used as part of the GCSE O Level or A level exams which are the exams taken by 2nd level student in Northern Ireland and Great Btitian
Stories have the power to change how a child preceives things (Childhood Education, Unknown).
Frank O’Connor
An example of the work of Frank O’Connor as a modern day sceanchai can be seen in the popular voice of the West of Ireland. This can be seen in the West of Ireland village communities-their language,social codes,belief systems-is ostensibly posited as prior to writing, as the live material whose transitorness writing attempts to commit to memory and permananences' (Dabrigeon- Garcier,2006).
According Dabrigeon-Garcier,2006 who cites thework of Frank O’Connor, Frank O’Connor was the popular voice of the West Of Ireland’s village communities, their language, social codes and belief systems is obtensively posited as prior to writing. It is described as the live material whose transitions writing attempts to commit to memory and preforance (Dabrigeon-Garcier,2006).
Eamon Kelly
Eamon Kelly is known in Ireland as ‘the Seanachai’ in the 1950s and 1960s from his RTE Broadcasted stories.Eamon Kelly brought a tradition of storytelling to the masses both in his published works and for years in Galway, where he ran a one man show. (Claddagh Records, 2009). This type of show is known as a monolog. At these shows Eamon Kelly ran his one man.Eammon Kelly was born in 1914 and died in 2001.(Kelly,1998)
Kelly carried out a type of show called a monolog..Eammon Kelly was born in 1914 and died in 2001. Kelly had been nominated for a Tony on Broadway and shared countless hours of stories with his Irish audience back home (Claddagh Record,2009)
Eamonn Kelly was perhaps the last authentic seanchai. the seanchai” in the 1950s and 1960s for his RTE broadcasted stories Eamon Kelly is known to have brought humor into the stories that he told. This. Kelly’s stories give a fantastic example of how older stories are still told today being passed o ghluin go gluin. .A good example of one of these stories is Kelly’s The Tea Man. (Youtube,2011) So they wound up sharing the only bed in the house with the husband and wife who they were delivering tea to. Eamon Kelly demonistrtaes how Storytellers have played an important role in Irish society from the days in which they told tales to kings and noblesmen right up to the mid twentieth century(Irish Family History,2010). Kelly’s stories are preserved as they are told by millions of people and have been re-interpertatied by current storytellers and sceanachi.
Biddy Early
Biddy Early was born Biddy O’Connor in 1778 (Ireland Mid West,online). She came from Fahy,Kianena,Co. Clare. She born Bridget Ellen Connors in lower Faha near Kilanena in 1798, Biddy was the daughter of a small land farmer, John Thomas Connors and his wife Ellen Early (Clare Library,2011). Early is also known as ‘the wise Woman of County Clare. The author Meda Ryan has written extensively on Biddy Early (Heritage Council,2011). Biddy is described as being small in statue and pretty, a woman who kept her good looks throughout her life. While married four times, she always used her mother's maiden name, believing that her gifts were inherited through the female line. Her mother taught her all about herbs and how to make potions, just as her own mother had taught her.
At the age of 16 when her parents died, Biddy was evicted from their home and forced to work as a serving girl in the nearby towns of Feakle and Ennis. I
Biddy’s powers of clairvoyance are credited to a mysterious dark bottle. How this “magic” bottle came into her possession, has since become part of her myth and legend. Some believe her late husband Pat Mally gave it to her before he died, or her son before he died; others believe it came to her from the “sidhe” (fairies). There are some stories that say she was away with the sidhe, and went to live among them for a time as a child. As a little girl it was said she could see and talk to the sidhe in their own language, which was different from Gaelic and that they taught her how to use her gifts. (Controverscial online,2011)
The stories associated with the Sceanchai Biddy Early tell of her magical powers.”Of all the tales of Biddy’s magical powers none were so fascinating as her “Blue Bottle” with which it was said she could see the future. Her son Tom died as a young man, but being worried about how his poor widowed mother would survive now that he was dead, Tom returned from the dead, to give her this magical “Blue Bottle”. He told her: “Take this mother and it will make a living for you”, and this bottle did indeed make her a living. People from all over the country were to seek Biddy’s predictions for the future which were said to be amazingly accurate down to the last detail. It was also said that if a weary traveller was coming many miles to meet Biddy, she would see him coming in the bottle and meet him half way.”(Clare Library,2011)
-based historian Meda Ryan will provide the talk on the legendary figure and those who have inherited family or community traditions associated with Biddy Early are encouraged to attend. (Clare Champion,2011)
(Shee-Eire,2011)
Biddy was born in Faha, Killanena in 1798 to a poor farming family. At 16 she was sent to Feakle to work as a servant girl and later to Kilbarron to work for a Dr Dunne. It was necessary for Biddy to go into service at such a young age to help her family survive in such hard times.
Throughout her life, she rose to fame as a result of her apparent ability to provide cures to animals and people and for her premonitions. Biddy was also famous for her magic blue bottle, which was reputed to have been won by her son in a hurling match against the fairies. Biddy was married four times and suffered significant personal tragedy in her own life. (Clare Champion,2011)
Since her death in 1874, the legend of Biddy Early has been transformed from local wise woman to international persona. Lady Gregory conducted significant research into Biddy Early in the decades after her death and many historians and folklorists have been similarly engaged over the last century.(Clare Champion,2011)
The Clare Oral History and Folklore group, will open their Samhain Winter Folklore Series next Thursday at the Old Ground Hotel with a talk titled Who was Biddy Early?
Biddy Early wrote her stories in Irish.
She is mostly associated with Children’s stories (Barbro,2011)
Advise for future Sceanachi?
Chan (1987) provides the reader of his article advise on how the reader of his article advise on how they could become a great storyteller. This advise is
“When you've chosen the story, you need to memorize it. It will take a few hours spread over time. First, read it silently and try to see the story in your mind's eye by visualizing it as a series of pictures. Then learn it by reading it aloud repeatedly, enjoying the words and the sound of the phrases. Think about words that may be new or unfamiliar to your audience and incorporate their meanings into the story so that you won't need to interrupt it during the telling to explain.” Chan (1987).
“Time yourself when you read the story aloud. After you have memorized it, time yourself again. If you use less time, you are either telling it too fast or skipping parts. If it takes much longer, you are telling the story too slowly. Tell your story to anyone who will listen. Before going to bed, read it aloud again. If you can, tape or videotape yourself telling the story.”
“Once you've memorized the story, you are ready to tell it. These points will help you do it more effectively. Smile and make eye contact with your listeners. Vary the pitch of your voice and use facial expressions and hand spirit of the story - unless you do, don't tell it. In choosing stories it is a good idea to select a theme for the hour, week, etc. (Honesty, courtesy, loyalty, safety).”
Chan clearly provides his advise to the reader from his own experience.
Currloch (2000) in The heritage of Ireland provides further advise on this key part of our past could be preserved.
Hackney Blackwell A. and Hackney R. (2011)Ireland's Rich Folklore Heritage via Netplaces (2011) <http://www.netplaces.com/irish-history/storytelling-an-irish-tradition/irelands-rich-folklore-heritage.htm> {accessed on 20 May 2011}, Netplaces,online
