OVERVIEW

For more than two thousand years, Celtic culture in Ireland has been maintained. Because of this, the practice of traditional Irish storytelling is almost as ancient as Ireland itself. There are many contexts associated with traditional Irish storytelling. The participation of women within this oral folklore has been seldom discussed until recently. In the Irish countryside it was customary that men and women would conduct nightly visits amongst neighbors, and men and women traditionally did this separately. This means that they would participate in this in same sex groups. One woman would host the others, while they would sit around and tell tales that range from local happenings to fairy lore.  Most legends told by these groups of women included local legends, personal narratives, fairy legends, tales about wakes, cures, and charms (spells). These stories were told in the Irish language, and performed in various ways. For example, some women would recount stories through the art of song. These close knit groups of women were highly selective, and they typically only performed for each other. These narrators told the tales with a strong enthusiasm, recounting complex tales. These performances allowed these women to share stories of personal narratives, as well as share legends of local lore. This served as a form of entertainment and as a social circle for these women. Verbal lore helps aid this community and the knowledge that they can gain from the past and pull it into the present. This also plays on the gender roles within this community, which is seen through the separation of the groups for this tradition.