Eddie Lenihan facts for kids
Edmund Lenihan, known as Eddie Lenihan, is an Irish author and storyteller. He was born in 1950. He is one of the few traditional Irish storytellers, called seanchaithe, still active in Ireland. Many people say he is "one of the greatest Irish story-tellers" and "a national treasure."
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Who is Eddie Lenihan?
Eddie Lenihan grew up in Brosna, County Kerry, Ireland. Today, he lives in Crusheen, County Clare. He went to college at Saint Ita's College and University College Galway.
Eddie is a collector of old folk tales. He works to save these stories for the future. He records tales told by older people. These stories were passed down through families by speaking, not writing. He then shares them in books, audio recordings, and films.
He is famous for his stories about Irish folk heroes. He also tells tales of fairies, fallen angels, and other magical beings. These stories come from Irish mythology and folklore. Eddie has also written poetry. He has shared stories about important Irish women and railroad history. He has the biggest private collection of folklore in Ireland.
Eddie first became known for telling stories to children. As he became more famous, he appeared in films like The Fairy Faith. He was also on BBC radio shows. He has shared his stories at many big folk festivals.
Saving Irish Traditions
Eddie Lenihan cares deeply about saving Irish traditions. In his 2003 book, Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland, he talked about his worry. He saw that many old Irish traditions and places were being lost. This was happening because of new buildings and industries in rural Ireland.
He wanted to protect old hill forts, country homes, and native plants. He felt this was part of saving Irish folkways, or old ways of life. He also mentioned how his ideas about saving nature sometimes disagreed with modern plans for development.
This became famous in 1999. Eddie stood up to road builders in County Clare. They wanted to cut down a whitethorn tree. This tree is known as the Latoon fairy bush. In Irish stories, the whitethorn tree is special to the Aos Sí – the fairy folk of Ireland. Local tradition said this tree was where the fairies of Munster met. They would meet there before riding against the fairies of Connacht.
Eddie's actions and protests made international news. He succeeded in changing the road project. The tree was saved. In this event, he told old, traditional stories. These stories spoke about the tree's importance. They also warned of bad things happening to those who harmed fairy homes.
Eddie Lenihan gets many of his stories from local people. These are often older people in rural areas. They know many stories passed down through their families.
Jimmy Armstrong
Jimmy Armstrong was born in 1914. He lived in Ballyrougham. His father worked for a landlord. Jimmy told stories about the people, places, and heroes of County Clare. These stories were put into Eddie's 1982 book, Long Ago by Shannonside. Eddie felt that when someone like Jimmy died, a big part of an area's spoken history could be lost.
See also
- Traditional knowledge
- Alan Lomax (who saved folk music)
- Brothers Grimm (who saved folklore)
Images for kids
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Common Hawthorn, also called Whitethorn, is special in Irish folklore.
