Wicklow Folk Tales

‘'Storytelling is from memory; for storytellers do not read out stories, which is a different pastime and skill. But stories need to be collected and the history of a people kept safe for those yet to be born. And to echo the voices of those now silent.''

I have many fond memories from County Wicklow where I had the blessing to spend a few days some years ago on a trip to beautiful Ireland. There is something very particular in its nature, its wind, its cozy, lively pubs, its lovely people. Even though it was raining for four days straight- even the rain is different, I think- we had the opportunity to witness many of its beauties and I admit that when I think of Ireland, my mind wanders in Wicklow and then in Dublin. For this special place one needs a special collection of tales.Brendan Nolan is the most suitable writer and creates a book of short stories full of the magic of Wicklow, the fierceness and wonder of the natural environment, but first of all, full of fascinating people, the ones who give life to the county.

This volume- a part of the Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland wonderful series- is different from the others in the sense that Nolan chooses humans as his focal point. So, we have people of flesh and bone loving, arguing, hoping, stealing, trying to live their lives or to make amends with the past. Yes, there are supernatural beings. A woman who becomes a bird, ghostly silhouettes haunting moonlit fields, the Good People always on the search to lure the weak mortals, magical animals, witches, mythical kings and queens, everything that makes Ireland such a unique land. However, they're not the ‘'stars'' here, they provide the context in which the men and women of our tales act. Some act violently, some foolishly, others honourably. They are farmers, criminals, monks, saints.

Nolan's writing is beautiful. He wrote a marvellous introduction on storytelling and the way in which storytellers create magic. Every tale is exciting, but the ones which impressed me most are ‘'A Hand in the Night'' in which ghosts are lurking in dark corners and ‘‘Surviving the Snow Storm'', a tale that showcases Nolan's talent with words. He describes the wintry days and nights in poetic, heart-breaking language.

These are tales of people like us.It doesn't matter that they belong to the past, the psyche of the human beings is a complex thing that doesn't change much as time goes by. If nothing else, it is enriched with experience. These are tales that can be told amidst laughter, the clinking of glasses filled with Guinness. Told with a low, almost whispery voice while the fiddle and the bodhrán can be heard in the background. Here's to the wind coming from the glens...

Which one will be our next stop? Shall we move south, to Wexford, or shall we cross the border to visit Armagh and Northern Ireland?

‘'For seeing is believing and hearing is definitive, but telling is best.''