It was a joy to tell stories of ancient Ireland and weave them together with stories of my own Irish ancestors, at my recent House Concert in Newport. First the audience was introduced to my grandfather, Tom Walsh, a man of great charm and a lover of literature, to whom the first story of Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn McCool) was dedicated. The second series of three shorter stories about the Cailleach, the Irish crone/goddess, were dedicated to my feisty great-grandmother, Florence.
After some chai and afternoon tea we regathered and I launched into the grand tale of the childhood deeds of Cú Chulainn. This story was dedicated to my great-great-great-great-grandmother, Kitty McCann, of Belfast, because she and Cú Chulainn both hailed from Ulster.
I suspect that I have a little of Kitty’s spirit in me, because one of my favourite things to do is become the warrior, Cú Chulainn, when he goes into ‘Warp Spasm’ – a frightening state that overcomes him, when he goes into battle. (Though Kitty never took up a sword, she faced major obstacles in her life with enormous courage, beginning with migrating from Ireland to Australia, aged 16, alone.) A ‘Warp Spasm’ is quite tiring and I really did enjoy that cup of tea when the stories ended.
Warmest thanks to my host, Jackie Kerin, for generously opening her home for this event and making everyone so welcome and comfortable. Jackie is a wonderful storyteller herself and the current president of Storytelling Australia Victoria. She is a great champion for storytelling and storytellers and has been a great supporter of my practice.
Thanks also for my wonderful audience, who came out for some stories and generously supported this fund-raiser, to help make my upcoming trip to Ireland possible. Thanks for joining me in the stories and all your feedback and suggestions afterwards.
Niki na Meadhra 