Tell Me A Story with Eddie Lenihan

Episode 30 : The Man Who Sold His Horse In Tír Na nÓg Mar 08, 2023

This month, Eddie recounts the curious tale of Dennis O'Rourke and how his meeting with a stranger on the way to the Tulla horse-fair pulls him into Other World. Dennis is drawn into the Big House, a place where caution is called for against every creature that you might encounter. This tale was originally told to Eddie by Jimmy Armstrong, a patient in Our Lady's hospital in Ennis. Jimmy's stories are available in Eddie's recently republished book, The Man In The Big House.

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Episode 29 : Irish Wakes Feb 01, 2023

This month, Eddie brings us an in-depth insight into the traditions surrounding Irish wakes. He speaks about how our relationship with death has changed over time, and the importance of honouring the rituals surrounding it. In particular, Eddie focuses on the games that would occur at wakes, amusements and customs that helped pass the long night with the departed. Arm wrestling, cards, rope climbing and dancing with the dead - all games found at an Irish wake.

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Episode28 : The Fairies of Corbally Fort Jan 04, 2023

Eddie recites the frightening tale of what happens when two farmers from Quin in Co. Clare interfere with the Good People who called Corbally fort their home. On an October's evening, Pat and Sean were returning home from an unproductive day's hunting. On glimpsing a goose on the grounds of the fort, a rifle shot rang out and the two men thought their hunting luck was improving. What they didn't realise was the true nature of the beast they had just injured, and the retribution that would follow their actions.

This tale is taken from Eddie's recently republished story collection entitled 'The Man In The Big House'.

If you enjoy the stories in this podcast, you can support us through the donations page, or purchase books directly from Eddie through his online store.

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Books - https://eddielenihan.weebly.com/store.html

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Episode 27 : Animals in Irish Folklore Part2 Sep 27, 2022

Dogs and cats and horses and rats. Eddie explores how these animals have long been the subject of Irish folklore stories, and what messages or foreboding they may bring. He explains the long held belief that dogs and horses have the gift of seeing the Other, especially in the dark of night. Eddie also recalls the terrible fate that may befall you if you offended a poet and they decided to send the rats on you out of spite.

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Episode 26 - The Banshee Aug 30, 2022

This month, Eddie speaks of the banshee in Irish culture, and the fear her wail instilled in those who heard it. The banshee, or the badhbh as she is also known, is a female spirit who gives a warning of impending death. Eddie reflects on a frightening story once told to him by an elderly man that left him convinced that the banshee is more than just a dark figure of the imagination.

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Episode 25 : Graveyards Jul 28, 2022

Eddie speaks about the macabre subject of graveyards in Ireland, and the rituals and piseogs that surround them. He explains the delicate process of burying a body, and what charms and objects may be placed in the grave, from a deck of cards to a fiddle bow. He also mentions the care required around one's behaviour in a graveyard, unless they wish to find that the next hole being dug is one intended for themselves.

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Episode 24 : The Place Names of Ireland (Part 2) May 11, 2022

Continued from Eddie's previous discussion last month, Eddie picks up where he left off on his journey into the place names of Ireland. Listing each town through it's Irish translation, he continues to build a visual landscape from the names of towns and villages. Part 2 or a 2 part series.

This episode is kindly sponsored by Creative Ireland.

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Episode 23 : The Place Names of Ireland (Part 1) Apr 20, 2022

This month, Eddie discusses the place names of Ireland. He traces how the Irish version of the name often contains important geographical references to the land itself. Eddie looks at the English version of these names, and explores what is being lost in the translation of the original language. Using over 50 examples of Irish towns and villages, Eddie paints a picture of the physical landscape of Ireland encoded through words and names. Part 1 of a two part special.

This episode is kindly sponsored by Creative Ireland.

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Episode 22 : The Black and Tans Mar 02, 2022

This month, Eddie tackles the contentious subject of the Black and Tans and their arrival in Ireland in 1920. He traces their history as constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary, and the reasons and incentives that brought them into the conflict. He explains how the terror they inflicted on the Irish public resulted in a profound sense of resentment and fear towards them. Burnings, raids and beatings, the Black and Tans exposed the Irish to a reign of intimidation and dread. Comprised of stories and facts recorded with people who lived through that era, Eddie shows the different aspects of their occupation and the dark legacy left in their wake.

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Episode 21 : Holy Wells Feb 01, 2022

After months on hiatus spent working on his new book, Eddie returns with another episode of the podcast. This month, Eddie looks at the idea of Holy Wells in Ireland. He explores their origins in pagan worship and how they were assimilated into Christian culture over time. He speaks of some of the strange customs that visitors to the well would enact, from tying ribbons to nearby trees to circling the well clockwise three times. He also lists all the potential ailments that might find relief and treatment from the waters of the holy well.

This episode is kindly supported by Creative Ireland.

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Episode 20 : The Care Of The Dead Jun 08, 2021

Death has always been a mournful time. The transition from one world into another. In Ireland, the rituals and practices that surrounded a funeral and burial were both grand and precise. There was a respect there for the spirit of the dead person, and care was taken to ensure their passing was a marked event, grounded in both grief and celebration. The wake, the dressing of the body, and the digging of the grave all followed a line of tradition that allowed the community to experience their sorrow and protect the souls of the departed on their journey onwards.

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Episode 19 : Trades Part 2 May 11, 2021

This month, Eddie continues his study of the old trades of Ireland. Things back then were made to last, where as things today are made to wear out. There was a dignity and quality behind the work, tools and utensils crafted to the highest standard by skilled trades people. The harness maker, the tinker, the hatter, the cooper, the potter, the basket-maker; Eddie explains how each trade was so necessary within the local communities.

If you enjoy the stories in this podcast, you can support us through the donations page, or purchase books directly from Eddie through his online store. https://eddielenihan.weebly.com/store.html

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episode 18 : Trades Part 1 Apr 13, 2021

Trades-people formed the backbone of society in traditional Ireland, supplying the public with hand-made tools and services. This month, Eddie looks at some of the important trades that influenced old Irish life, and the folklore tales that accompanied them. Eddie speaks on the role of the blacksmith, the thatcher, the wheel maker, the tailor and the dress maker. Part 1 of a 2 part series.

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Episode 17 : Birds Mar 17, 2021

Ireland has a wide variety of native birds, full of colour and character. This month, Eddie discusses the superstitions and symbolic relevance that birds have played in Irish tradition and beliefs. From the crow, to the wren, to the robin - Eddie explores how each bird has it's own unique personality traits, and how we can learn to read their behaviour as harbingers and predictions of what may lie in the future.

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You can purchase Eddie's folklore books through his website, and all copies are signed personally.

https://eddielenihan.weebly.com/store.html

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Episode 16 : Roads Pt.2 Feb 16, 2021

Eddie continues his discussion of roads in Ireland, this time reflecting on some of the stranger aspects of our routes and byways. He speaks of the significance of the public road, and how it acts as a symbol of safety to those who encounter the darker elements of the night. He mentions what happens to those who stand on the stray sod when out walking, and the confusion that ensues when alcohol is involved.

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Episode 15 : Roads Pt.1 Feb 04, 2021

This month, Eddie takes a historic look at the role that roads play in Ireland in all their complexity, beauty and ugliness. The windy and straight, the good and the bad, the up and the down. Eddie explores why certain roads in Co. Clare exist and what purpose they served both long ago in the past and in the present now.

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Episode 14 : The Long Dark Winter Nights Jan 06, 2021

The Long Dark Winter Nights. An eerie time of the year, where those other things might be closer to us than we think. They take many forms, and often appear to us on a cold, dark road in Ireland. This month, Eddie recounts the eight types of spirits and supernatural creatures that one might meet, and give examples of stories where poor ordinary folk had encounters with the otherworldly.

If you enjoy the stories on this podcast, you can support us through the donations page, or purchase books directly from Eddie through his online store. https://eddielenihan.weebly.com/store.html

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/tell-me-a-story-with-eddie-lenihan.

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Episode 13 : Christmas Dec 16, 2020

This month, Eddie speaks about Christmas customs and traditions in Ireland in the olden days. A time for preparations, rituals and feasts. The point of midnight on Christmas Eve is a special time, a moment when magic can happen. It's said that animals have the gift of speech, but make sure you don't listen in on their conversations.

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Episode 12 : Trees Dec 03, 2020

We're back at last. This month, Eddie speaks about the great trees of Ireland, and why they held such a profound spiritual power over the native Irish people - from druids, to saints and farmers. He discusses the traditions and folklore that surround Irish trees, and how the Irish translation of their names give us an important insight into the geography and history of the island of Ireland.

This episode is proudly part of the 'Whose Woods These Are' festival taking place from the 17th - 20th of December. 'Whose Woods These Are' is a four day celebration of trees in music, art, film, talks and story presented by Natalia Beylis and Eimear Reidy in association with The Dock Arts Centre. For more information, visit https://www.thedock.ie/whats-on/whose-woods-these-are

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The Blessing (Snippet) Oct 14, 2020

A quick memory revisited by Eddie about the old custom of offering a blessing when you stepped inside the home of someone else.

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Episode 11 : The Old People Sep 01, 2020

This month, Eddie recounts his experiences of talking and conversing with the old people around Ireland. Through documenting their stories and experiences, Eddie has developed a rare insight into the beliefs and customs that came to define old traditional life in Ireland. He also reads some of the surreal writing of one patient named Jimmy who Eddie used to visit over the years in Our Lady's hospital in Ennis.

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Episode 10 : Music and the Fairies Part 2 Aug 04, 2020

This month, Eddie tells us of a man named Sean O'Connor who came from Sliabh Luachra. The kind of man who didn't quite fit in. Sean's fiddle playing was a point of mockery in the local community, and he was chased out of the local parish dances because of it. Until one night, after a chance encounter with the other crowd, he gets given the gift of fairy music.

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Episode 9 : Music and the Fairies Part 1 Jul 13, 2020

This month, Eddie tells a story from his own parish of Brosna in Co.Kerry about two cruiteacháns - local hunchbacks known as Ned Murt and Pat Mickey Seán. On a dark night, a chance meeting with the fairies and the ensuing singsong showed how na daoine uaisle have the ability to heal certain afflictions. But make sure you sing the song correctly, or you might find yourself worse off than before.

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Episode 8 : The Cure Jun 02, 2020

This month, Eddie tells a number of tales about the curious power of cures. Eddie relays a number of cures that Biddy Early prescribed to various people throughout the county. Cures for illness, cures for animals, and cures for the fairies. As the stories show, you had to follow the cure's warning exactly, or else!

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Episode 7 : The Fairy Wind May 05, 2020

This month, Eddie gives a brief introduction to the fairies, na daoine uaisle. He explores the traditional roots of fairy folklore and legends, and tells of a West Clare women's deadly encounter with the fairy wind, an sí gaoithe.

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Episode 6 : The Art of Collecting Mar 31, 2020

This month, Eddie looks back on how he was first introduced to story-telling and collecting in Brosna in Co. Kerry. Eddie explores the importance of passing down stories from one generation to the next, and how it preserves our cultural and traditional beliefs. This episode is supported by Creative Ireland.

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Episode 5 : Defiant Irish Women Mar 04, 2020

This month, Eddie speaks about some of the defiant Irish women in Irish folklore. He tells of Máire Rua McMahon from Co. Clare, and her trials and tribulations with her various husbands. Eddie also tells the tale of the boy who pulled the wrong stone from a castle wall, and felt the strike of the Cailleach.

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Episode 4 : St Brigid Jan 29, 2020

Eddie tells some stories about St Brigid. St Brigid is also known as Mary of the Gael or Muire na nGael. She is one of the Patron Saints of Ireland.

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Episode 3 : Animals in Irish Folklore Jan 02, 2020

In this episode Eddie talks about animals in Irish Folklore and their importance in storytelling.

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Episode 2 : Biddy Early Part 1 Nov 28, 2019

A great woman. In this episode Eddie gives an introduction to Biddy Early, the bean feasa, the “wise woman” of Clare.

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Episode 1 : Halloween Oct 23, 2019

Oíche Shamhna (Halloween) the night of the fairies, the night of the spirits. In this episode, Eddie explores the traditions and legends that surround the festival of Samhain, or Halloween.

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