Blúiríní Béaloidis 37: Peig Sayers (with Dr. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne & Dr. Pádraig Ó Héalaí)

About this episode

This episode explores the life and work of Peig Sayers, a significant figure in Irish storytelling, featuring insights from two experts in the field.

"Long as the day is, night comes, and alas, the night is coming for me too... Someone else will have pastime out of my work when I'm gone on the way of truth. A person here and a person there will say, maybe, 'Who was that Peig Sayers?' but poor Peig will be the length of their shout from them. This green bench where she used to do the studying will be a domicile for the birds of the wilderness, and the little house where she used to eat and drink, it's unlikely there'll be a trace of it there." For this episode of Blúiríní, instead of focusing on one aspect of tradition, we for the first time dedicate our explorations to one individual; Mairéad ‘Peig’ Sayers who, by her artistry and mastery as a storyteller in the oral tradition, skilfully managed to express the wisdom of the many in the wit of the few, and yet whose printed autobiographies (as Irene Lucchitti notes in an article in Folklore and Modern Irish writing) ‘experienced a decline in reputation, suffering critical disdain and schoolyard ridicule in equal measure’. Now, nearly sixty-five years after her death, we hope to provide a platform through which her tales might find a new audience, one which, it is hoped, may…

People in this episode

Guests: Dr. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Dr. Pádraig Ó Héalaí

Topics covered

• Peig Sayers
• oral tradition
• storytelling
• Irish folklore
• cultural heritage

Keywords

• Peig Sayers
• storytelling
• Irish folklore
• oral tradition
• cultural heritage
• Dr. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
• Dr. Pádraig Ó Héalaí

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Museum of Literature Ireland

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