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Seanchaí

A seanchaí is a traditional Irish storyteller. A commonly encountered English spelling of the Irish word is shanachie.

The word seanchaí, which was spelled seanchaid before the Irish-language spelling reform of 1948, means a bearer of "old lore" (seanchas). In the ancient Celtic culture, the history and laws of the people were not written down but memorized in long lyric poems which were recited by bards (filí), in a tradition echoed by the seanchaithe.

Seanchaí used to be servants to chiefs of their tribe and kept track of important information for their clan and were very well respected. The seanchaí made use of a range of storytelling conventions, styles of speech and gestures that were peculiar to the Irish folk tradition and characterized them as practitioners of their art.

Although tales from literary sources found their way into the repertoires of the seanchaí, a traditional characteristic of their art was the way in which a large number of tales was passed from one practitioner to another without ever being written down. Because of their role as custodians of an indigenous non-literary tradition, the seanchaí are widely acknowledged to have inherited – although informally – the function of the filí of pre-Christian Ireland.

Some seanchaí, however were not part of a clan, some were itinerants, traveling from one community to another offering their skills in exchange for food and temporary shelter. Others, however, were members of a settled community and might be termed "village storytellers" who told their marvelous stories and tales at ceremonies and community events, simialar to the servant Seanchaí. The distinctive role and craft of the seanchaí is particularly associated with the Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking areas of Ireland), although storytellers recognizable as seanchaí were also to be found in rural areas throughout English-speaking Ireland.

The North Texas Irish Festival has a long tradition of welcoming local storytellers to our stages, not just on the Urchin street area Harkness Stage, but also as an integral part of our cultural program. Please visit with some of our local seanchaí while you are at NTIF.

Gary Whitaker

Master Storyteller, Gary Whitaker, has been performing since 1997. He is noted for being a creative and enthusiastic teller of Irish and Scottish folk tales. He loves to bring these ancient tales to life with dramatic flair. The Storyman has performed a variety of programs all over Texas in schools, libraries and at festivals. For more information visit his website at www.storymantales.com or visit his fan facebook site registered under Gary Whitaker / The Storyman.

"Give people a fact or an idea and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story and you touch their souls."

Hazel Sandlin

Willow was born on a Midsummer night under a young and tender foxglove plant. Originally from Tir Na Nog ( The Land of Eternal Youth). Willow is of course an Irish fairy! Her true Irish name is Etain, the daughter of Ailill the King of Uaid. She chose the name Willow when she began her travels.

Before leaving her father bestowed upon her three gifts. The first being song, that she may carry the songs of Erin in her heart and share them with children young and old. The second is story weaving, so she may instill, love, generosity, courage, and compassion with all who are wise enough to listen. The third and final gift the most important gift of all, is the ability to bring smiles to the faces of the children she encounters. For it has been said that everytime a child smiles a fairy is born.

Hazel holds a masters degree in Early childhood development, with a minor in music education. She is a former schoolteacher, a member of the Dallas storytelling guild and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Celtic Music Association.

Jane McDaniel

Born 1945 in Limerick, Ireland, Jane started to write and retell stories at an early age thanks in part to a rich family storytelling tradition. I lived to a certain extent between two cultures, as her father was English and a staunch Protestant and her mother was from Belfast, and Catholic. She attended schools in Limerick and university in Germany, and worked in Germany as a business print journalist and radio news reporter for 26 years before moving to the USA in 1993.

She first told stories to a larger public while hosting annual St. Patrick’s Day specials for AFN Forces Radio Network in Frankfurt, Germany and was a featured Rising Star at the Texas State Storytelling Festival in Denton in 2002. She held the title of US National Irish Storytelling Champion for four years, and was voted The Biggest Irish Liar in Texas in 2006.

She telsl at Folklife Festivals in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Natchitoches, the North Texas Irish Festival and at the Milwaukee WI. Irish Fest. In addition sheI tells at elementary and middle schools, libraries, retirement homes, social clubs, corporate events, vineyards, and at Adult Education classes. She also tells a range of international wonder tales, participatory tales and riddle stories specifically for children.

Liz Covington

Elizabeth ’Liz’ Covington is an active member of several Celtic organizations, and has been with NTIF, the Austin Celtic Festival, and the Celtic Heritage Festival for the past 6 years.

She is also an active member of the Tejas Storytelling Association and the Tarrant Area Guild of Storytellers as a Storyteller/Oral Historian. She preformes at Schools, Museums, Retirement Centers, Civic Clubs, Libraries, Festivals, Stories Under the Stars, teaches storytelling, and leads Ladies retreats.

Peg Loyd and John Burleson

John Burleson and Peg Roach Loyd were accidentally paired by Don Penzien at the 2006 CelticFest in Jackson, Ms. The two combined for an impromptu set, got rave reviews and a duo was born. They’ve continued to perform annually at CelticFest ever since. From Burleson’s gift for storytelling to Loyd’s gifted voice for storytelling through songs, they add uplifting tunes on whistle and jazzy rhythms on guitar and bodhrán, making for a lively duo. Burleson’s storytelling CD, The Winding Way, includes "A Circle of Stones" and other Celtic stories.

Loyd, an award-winning songwriter ("The Fiddler’s Feet"; "The Forgotten Ten" and "'Til Night Became Day") and bodhran player from the Midwest Fleadh (2008, 2009 & 2010), has competed at the All-Ireland the last three years. Loyd has published a CD, Carving in Stone (2008), and is a co-author of The Gratitude Book Project – Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude (2010).

Rickey Pittman

Rickey E. Pittman, storyteller, author, and folksinger was the Grand Prize Winner of the 1998 Ernest Hemingway Short Story Competition, and is originally from Dallas, Texas. Pittman presents his stories, music and programs at schools, libraries, organizations, museums, Civil War Reenactments, and Celtic festivals throughout the South. His first CD of songs from the American Civil War will be produced this fall. In addition to the guitar, he plays mandolin and has just picked up the harp, which he will incorporate into his storytelling in the true tradition of the bard. He is the author of several books including the Scottish Alphabet, a children's picture book.

Pittman is a certified Secondary Gifted English teacher and currently teaches freshman composition for Louisiana Delta Community College, the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Virginia College Online.