It was a wish of mine to curate an actual storytelling session in advance of the summative assessment submission, however time was not in my side. I made it my mission instead to actively experience elements of my SICP that already exist around me. Firstly, I visited a local park which features a circle of native Irish trees, an installation to commemorate the 1916 War of Independence. Within the circle are seven native trees, each bearing a plaque which features its Irish, Latin and Ogham names, as well as additional information about the tree’s physiology and ancestral function. The ash tree was present and it was very obviously battling ash dieback. Once again the circular format is present, hinting at the non-linear view of time in pagan tradition. The sickly ash tree, suffering in the company of its fellow native trees, truly showcased the severity of the disease. Not even an ash tree planted for symbolic purposes in a war memorial was safe from the wrath of ash dieback.
Additionally, I could not resist the chance to see an interview with Eddie Lenihan by Blindboy in my local university. Lenihan (photographed on the left) is one of the last known seanchaís in Ireland, this being someone who collects stories from others and the past. In fact, Lenihan describes it as collecting ‘time gone by’. For the last 50 years he has been collecting hours and hours of oral history from anyone and everyone, ranging from stories about fairies and fairy forts, to a hanging pre-famine (told to him by someone whose grandfather witnessed it), and about Biddy Early – a woman of wisdom (and someone that would have otherwise been considered a witch outside of Ireland). While I don’t have much curatorial notes to add on this, it was fascinating to listen to someone who collects and records oral history – and out of his own pocket nonetheless!
I was interested to see what would become of the archive after Lenihan – he doesn’t know the answer either. While he has written a plethora of books on the folklore he has recorded, he still has hours of archival recordings that the state have shown no interest in. This really highlighted the lack of interest that often exists around archives – bringing up the question once again of what should be saved and what should be erased. Oh the politics!
