By 
IRELAND, north and south, is a land steeped in mythology, folklore and old wives tales – many of which have been lost to the mists of times. However, just as many still exist in today’s storytelling.
Clady woman Bronach Lafferty, currently undertaking an online masters in Irish Folklore and Mythology at University College Cork, searching for local tales in the hope of recording them for posterity.
Bronach explained, “I’ve always loved these kinds of stories from pre-Christian Ireland about the land of Tír Na Nog, faerie rings, stone circles, the mummers, the ‘cures’ and other such tales of old Ireland. My undergraduate degree was in theology in Queens and although I was brought up catholic, I’ve always felt more connected with the older ideas of pagan Ireland and how some of those tales and beliefs have lasted through the centuries and are still spoken about today.
“These stories do last in some shape or form and so I took a notion to construct a document of stories from the local area so that they’re not forgotten.
“We often hear of stories around large urban areas but it’s the one from rural small places like Clady, Doneyloop and Strabane that truly interest me.
“People don’t seem to realise just how connected we really are to the ‘old ways’ especially with so many people having the cure for various ailments like shingles, warts, whopping cough and other ailments we would automatically go to the doctor for in today’s age.”
One of the things Bronach remembers fondly from her childhood are stories of the mummers, something which both her father and grandfather were a part of in their younger days.
“My grandad, who’s 90, would often tell me stories of his days as a mummer and I was always transfixed. He remembers doing it from primary seven although I don’t believe it’s a tradition which has carried on to today.
“I want to hear from anyone who has stories about stone circles, old myths and legends, cures and the like. The stories I want are more mythical than supernatural but, given that we Irish gave the world Halloween in the form of pagan festival Samhain, ghost stories are more than welcome.”
Bronach hopes to make the document, which she is compiling alongside her Masters and work as a teacher, available for anyone to read and, maybe, it’ll feed into a dissertation down the line.
“It’s a long way off I admit but maybe some of these stories will fit into that. I’ve already got the idea of doing it on St Bridget who is a figure that’s always fascinated me and, pre-Christianity, she was known as the Goddess Bridget.”
Bronach is aiming to connect these tales when she returns home to Clady for Christmas but is happy to receive any beforehand.
“I know that people have a lot on at Christmas so might not just have the time to meet for a coffee and a natter so I’m happy to get any stories well in advance. If people want they can email me at branchyoga@hotmail.com and I’ll include them in the document.
“It’s important to have the stories of our ancestors written down for posterity and to ensure we never forget the old ways.”
