The following tables provide the proper pronunciations for a number of the more common Irish/Gaelic terms you’ll come across in the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series. As a general principle, we use Irish words where relevant and in particular where there are no culturally equivalent terms in English.

Either way, test your own interpretation of the names, place names and other words and let us know if there’s something you think should really, really be in there.

Texts, People and Events referenced in the novel

Texts

• Acallam na Senorach – The Colloquy of the Ancients. A late 12th century text containing many Fenian narratives. The tales are told from the perspectives of warriors Oisín and Caílte mac Rónáin who recount many of the Fenian adventures to Saint Patrick.
• An Cathach – The “Battle Book”. A 6th century manuscript psalter. This is Ireland’s oldest illustrated document. Only 58 leaves survive from the original manuscript.
• Annals of Tighernach – The Annals of Tighernach are believed to have been compiled at Clonmacnoise towards the end of the 11th century. They are named after Tigernach Ua Braín, the abbot of the monastery there.
• Codex Usserianus – An early 7th century Old Latin Gospel Book. The manuscript’s traditional name – the First Book of Uss(h)er – refers to James Ussher the Archbishop of Armagh.
• Dúnaire Finn – A compilation of late medieval Fenian Cycle poems compiled by Aodh Ó Dochartaigh in 1627 for the use of Captain Somhairle Mac Domhnaill, an Irish mercenary fighting with the Spanish army during the Thirty Years War. The Irish Texts Society published the text in three volumes between 1908 and 1953 (vol. i, ed. Eóin MacNialll (Dublin, 1908), vol. ii, ed. Gerard Murphy (Dublin, 1933), and vol. iii, ed. Gerard Murphy (Dublin, 1953)
• Fadden Psalter – An early medieval manuscript found in July 2006 in a peat bog at Faddan More, County Tipperary. It is considered one of the most significant Irish archaeological discoveries in Ireland for decades
• Feis Tighe Chonáin – The Feast at Conán’s House. A late medieval text in which Fionn is given hospitality for the night in the sidhe (fairy fort) of Conán. During the text, Fionn recounts many of his adventures.
• Leabhar Laighneach – The Book of Leinster. A medieval manuscript compiled around 1160.
• Macgníamhartha Find – The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn. A text biography of Fionn’s youth based on Leinster folklore.
• Springmount Bog tablets – Wax tablets discovered in a bog in County Antrim and believed to be the oldest example of writing in Latin from Ireland (around 600 A.D.)
• Tóraiocht Dhiarmada agus Gráinne – The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne. A Fenian narrative from the 10th century. It concerns the elopement of Fionn mac Cumhal’s bride with the Fenian hero Diarmuid ua Duibhne

Places

• Brú na Bóinne – An ancient temple constructed more than 5000 years ago in the Boyne Valley
• Cashel – The Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, an ancient fortress later replaced by a monastery.
• Tech nDuinn – The House of Donn (a pre-historical deity associated with the realm of the dead)
• Tír na nÓg – Land of the Young (literally): Also a synonym for the Otherworld

People

• Caibre Lifeachair – Mythological High King of Ireland and son of Cormac mac Art. According to the Fenian Cycle, he initiated events leading to the battle of Gabhra because of his jealousy of the Fianna and was killed during that battle by Fionn’s nephew Oscar who later died of his own wounds
• Éogánachta – A federation of tribes of common lineage spread throughout Munster from the 3rd century. Internal septs included the O’Briens, the MacCarthys, the O’Donohues, the O’Keefes, and the O’Sullivans, among others.
• Lugaid of the Red Stripes – Lughaidh Riabhdhearg. A fictional king who was said to have reigned during the prehistoric period.
• Murchiú – Muirchu moccu Machtheni. A 7th century monk from Leinster
• Muircheartach Ua Briain – great-grandson of Brian Boru. He was King of Munster but later declared himself High King of Ireland.
• Seathrún Cétinn – Geoffrey Keating (in English). A 17th century Irish historian poet and priest most renowned for his work Foras Feasa ar Éirinn.

This book was the first I published and, in a way, it was a kind of test to see if I could actually write something other people might want to read. From my own experience at least, I’m convinced short stories are a critical step to developing your skill as an author and working up the tenacity to completing a longer, novel-length work.

Although I initially published it through a very small publishing house here in Wellington, I was blown away by the response. Despite the fact that few of the larger bookshops (or the smaller ones) wanted anything to do with an untried author who hadn’t come through the traditional/mainstream route, I ended up selling about 300 hardcopies in the first month – which for a collection of short stories in a country with a small population like New Zealand was pretty amazing. Since then, I’ve revised the original for the digital version but the book continues to sell steadily despite the fact that I’ve done absolutely nothing to market it. To be honest, I’m not really sure why it’s been so popular – people just seem to like the individual stories. In any case, the back cover blurb follows below, accompanied by some of the national reviews it received at the time.

*************

This intriguing collection of stories by new Irish writer Brian O’Sullivan puts an original twist on foreign and familiar territory. Merging the passion and wit of Irish storytelling with the down-to-earth flavour of contemporary New Zealand, these stories will thrust you deep into the fascinating lives of:

• a ringmaster’s daughter who is too implausible to be true — despite all the evidence to the contrary
• an ageing nightclub gigolo in one last desperate bid to best a younger rival
• a Wellington consultant whose uncomplicated affair with a public service colleague proves anything but
• an Irish career woman in London stalked by a mysterious figure from her past
• a sleep-deprived translator struggling to make sense of bizarre events in a French city.

‘Leannán Sidhe (pronounced Lan-awn Shee) is a fairy or otherworld creature in Irish folklore; a muse that accepts a lover’s affection in return for the ability to create a work of art of immense feeling.

(1) Arts on Sunday

The author was interviewed on National Radio’s Arts on Sunday program in March; a copy of the interview can be downloaded here (link removed).

((2) Wairarapa Times Age (March 2008)

In this writers’ first collection of short stories there’s a strong painterly way with words that takes you to the places and situations even if you’re occasionally left wondering with a feeling of “what am I doing here?”
Snatched moments of lust and surges of romantic pain and bereavements abound as do chilly nights, lonely wanderings, jaded machinations, tawdry affairs, Kafkaesque frustrations and grim humour, “tanks be to God”.
Settings are important (but some hard to locate) and range from Galway to Lille, Donegal, Paris, Sussex, Wellington and London – chilly winds, mist and post-coital cigarettes all over the show, to be sure.
I appreciated many of his descriptions, mist through a train window and the way foggy days and nights can transport you into another kind of reality. The last story, Morris Dancing, is a neat twist on our supposedly benign colonisation process (no Union Jacks on London bridge, pai kare!) and is a fine ending to the author’s fine beginning.

(3) The Wellingtonian (April 2007)

There’s nothing quite like a good short story. Something that pulls you in, churns your mind around and spits you out the other end … thinking about what you’ve just read.

Wellington author Brian O’Sullivan offers 13 yarns in his first book The Irish Muse and Other Stories. Overall he achieves that feeling. Most of his stories left me wondering about the characters, their lives and experiences. A couple were ordinary.

It’s fiction tinged with a bit of real life experience, set in Wellington, Ireland and France amongst other places. The stories range from chance romantic encounters in a small Irish town and haunting tales of tragic personal loss to bizarre encounters between a consultant and a career woman in Wellington and one man’s attempt to get to the bottom of his internet service woes. The finale was a thought-provoking tale that upended my perception of indigenous people’s land grievances, oddly entitled ‘Morris Dancing’. My favourite is Sleepwalking in English, a story about a
man’s attempts to come to grips with the death of his partner in a car crash – the ending was eerie.

It’s a simply written, easy to read book that you can devour in a night if the mood takes you. It’s said that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Au contraire, I liked the look of O’Sullivan’s book and the content proved to be good.

(3) Otago Daily Times (June 2007)

This is a delightful book of short stories by new author Brian O’Sullivan. The stories, which are set both in Ireland and New Zealand, are a mixture of tender whimsy and sharp irony, in a
collection that will delight. My favourites included the last one Morris Dancing which is a translation of the papers of the Maori rulers of New Aotearoa with the Parliament sitting in Westminster, London. In that same satirical vein I enjoyed The Morning After in which a couple wake up after a terribly debauched night unable to remember how they got to Paris or who they are. It has a fabulous punch line.

Less Ironic is the title story Leannán Sidhe, which is a sprawling tale about a composer with writer’s block and a flautist in a small Irish village. It has all the clichés of Ireland, but a modern tone that interweaves the magical and realistic in a wonderful, whimsical mix.

These stories were written by an Irish Kiwi and was sometimes difficult to see where stories were set until a place name was mentioned, as both countries seem to share wind, rain and rolling
green hills. This is but a tiny complaint, however, as I enjoyed the book greatly.

Finally heading home to carry out some final research on the second book of my Beara Trilogy.

With this particular series, as well as the usual thriller and mystery element, I’ve always been keen to include a strong contemporary issue that’s recently been to the fore in Ireland. Unfortunately, these days, I seem a bit spoiled for choice. Events in Ireland  over the last few years have pretty much been overshadowed by the recession but, more recently, we’ve also had to deal with a new wave of emigration, Garda upper management that cannot be trusted with issues of justice, a complete dearth of political  leadership (seriously, anyone voting for either of the two larger political parties really has to ask themselves why), the impacts of climate change in terms of flooding etc. blah, blah, blah and so on.

If you’ve read the first book in this trilogy, you’ll know of course that, structurally, it consists of two separate (but interlinking) mystery stories – a style to be reproduced in the remaining two books.  For the second book, I can finally say that I have the contemporary section completely plotted out – something that proved decidedly difficult.

Now, however, I have to work in the folklore an mythology linkages that connect the contemporary mystery not only to the Beara of the 1960s but to an issue the country faces today. I do have one particular theme in mind which I found through my research some years ago and which encompasses all of the issues raised above. It is something, in fact, so important I’m pretty shocked that it seems to have disappeared through the cracks of history.

Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to getting into it.

Once I finish the second Fionn book (due in September 2014).

Until then, research, friends and lots of yacking beckons.

The Beara Mystery Trilogy – Book One

“A fascinatingly informative yet nailbiting cultural thriller!”

Nobody knows much about reclusive historian Muiris (Mos) O’Súilleabháin except that he doesn’t share his secrets freely. Mos, however, has a “sixth sense for history, a unique talent for finding lost things”.

Lured from seclusion, despite his own misgivings, Mos is hired to locate the final resting place of legendary Irish hero, Fionn Mac Cumhal. Confronted by a thousand year old mystery, the distractions of a beguiling circus performer and a lethal competitor, Mos must draw on his unique background and knowledge of Gaelic lore to defy his enemies and survive his own family history in the Beara peninsula.

A fascinating mixture of contemporary thriller, Irish culture and ancient Gaelic lore,  Beara: Dark Legends is the first in a trilogy of unforgettable Irish thrillers. Propulsive, atmospheric and darkly humorous, Beara: Dark Legends introduces an Irish hero like you’ve never seen before. Nothing you thought you knew about Ireland will ever be the same again.

This book includes the following EXTRA CONTENT:

• historical notes on the Fenian Cycle
• a pronunciation guide and links to an online audio pronunciation guide

Welcome to the ‘About’ page.

Some Bio details:

My name is Brian O’Sullivan (Brían Ó’Súileabháin in Irish) and I’m from County Cork in the Republic of Ireland. These days I’m mostly based in New Zealand (ironic, given that, geographically, this is about as far as you can possibly get from Ireland).

I’m an author, cultural reseacher and commentator and also a strategic analyst who analyses patterns of behaviour on a ‘process’ and on a societal ‘systems’ level. In 2014, I set up Irish Imbas with my partner ‘K.

What do we do?

To put it simply, we research and identify ancient Irish cultural knowledge and belief patterns (often interpreted as ‘Irish mythology’ but essentially more to do with ‘how our ancestors thought’ and ‘what they believed in’ ). We then translate the more workable pieces into narratives and learning material for a more contemporary audience.

To date, we’ve mostly done this through ‘fiction’ but all of our works contain strong, rarely seen elements of Irish culture and history. While we’re very focused on delivering content that’s culturally authentic, it’s also important that any learnings are passed on in way that’s entertaining and easy to absorb. All our experience to date indicates that people learn more through entertainment narratives than through strict educational teaching and our aim is to make both as seamless as possible.

We also provide independent advice on Irish/ Gaelic culture for individual creative projects.

In terms of fictional narratives, we currently have three independent fiction series in the works;

• the Beara Trilogy,
• the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series; and
• the Irish Woman Warrior Series.

The first book in the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series was selected as a finalist for Mark Lawrence’s SPFBO 2016 competition (a major fantasy competition for small/independent publishers). The first book in the Irish Woman Warrior Series (Liath Luachra: The Grey One) meanwhile, has just been adapted for the screen by Graisland Entertainment as a potential television series.

We also run an annual Celtic Mythology Short Story Competition and produce regular collections of tales and learnings from the mythologies of the “Celtic” countries (although workloads mean this is currently on hold).

Although many of our projects are not yet publicly available, most of our books can be obtained through the major ebookstores such as Amazon/ Google Play/ Kobo/ iBooks/ Barnes & Noble and so on. We also sell our digital books through our own Book Shop so if you’d like to support what we’re trying to achieve through there, that’s always appreciated.

Hard copies of our books are available through Amazon and most can be ordered through any bookshop.

What’s Our Motivation?

We have four key motivations for doing what we do.

Firstly, K and I are both completely and utterly passionate about culture and language – ancient and contemporary. Honestly, on a personal level, I could quite happily spend the rest of my life browsing through arcane, dust-covered books on Gaelic culture and improving my Gaeilge!

Secondly, I love telling stories. It’s what I enjoy most and what I think I do best.

Thirdly, we’re keen to address the huge dearth of accurate Irish/Gaelic cultural information available on the internet.

Fourthly, and most importantly, we want to revitalise Irish/Gaelic culture in terms of language, cultural knowledge systems and cultural identity.

Over the years, we’ve encountered many people of Irish people and people of Irish descent who, through no fault of their own, have been completely disconnected from their cultural heritage. By ‘cultural heritage’, we don’t mean passports, accents, family connections or anything like that. We’re talking about the less defined things: connection to authentic heritage, self-identity, cultural concepts, those background things that give true depth and resonance to our lives

It’s our hope to help people reclaim some of that through the books and other projects we do.

What does ‘Imbas’ mean?

‘Imbas’ is a very old Celtic word meaning ‘knowledge’. Unlike the modern Irish equivalent (eolas), the word ‘imbas’ has always had the connotation of ‘restricted knowledge’. Most often, it was used when referring to the secret knowledge kept by the druids or poets.

In some respects, that knowledge is still restricted as a vast amount of Irish cultural knowledge is still locked away in the realms of academia, rare and somewhat esoteric books, or remains untranslated from the Irish form. In this respect, it’s clear that Irish cultural knowledge remains completely inaccessible to the general population.

Given the kind of work we do and the odd, little-know material we work with, the word ‘imbas’ seemed a natural fit.

The Blog and the Newsletter

I regularly write on elements of authentic Irish culture (contemporary or historical), cultural aspects, occasionally on new books or writing, interviews, other things that amuse me. Most of our more in-depth news and articles go out in Vóg, our monthly (actually only 10 issues/year) newsletter.

It’s our hope that some of the topics raised will entertain or stimulate interest and encourage people to provide feedback and relevant commentary. Like everything else in our lives, it’s an ongoing development.

Working with Irish Imbas

We’re always happy to hear from people who are interested in what we’re doing or doing something similar themselves, whether it’s just for a yack to compare ideas or to discuss future projects we could potentially work on together.

In recent times however, given the publishing work we do, we’ve also found ourselves inundated with requests to look at/review other people’s writing. Unfortunately, with the best will in the world, we simply don’t have the capacity to do that. We don’t really see ourselves as a publishing company so much as a distributor of authentic cultural information. We’re also a tiny organisation and tend to work on a project-by-project basis, hiring the technical expertise we need as required. Between the research and analysis we do, publishing two books a year and other projects that interest us, we regret but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to look at other people’s work as well.

That said, we strongly support and enjoy promoting the work of other native Irish artists – particularly if it’s in Irish or it’s bilingual. If you have a creative work (in any form) you’d like help in promoting, we’re happy to help (time permitting) through our own networks.