Sometimes I wonder how we got to this place.
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Cover Grow Up
Had a timely ‘blast from the past’ today when I received a reminder of a book cover from October 2014 (for FIONN: Traitor of Dun Baoiscne). It was timely given that Amazon have somehow managed to revert to printing my paperbacks with the older covers instead of the more recent versions (which have been in place for some years).
Back when I first started writing and publishing, there were far fewer artists available to do illustrations and limited stock photos that you could purchase within a shoestring budget. For 1st/2nd century Ireland â the time/culture in which my books are set â finding ârepresentativeâ covers was particularly difficult. Despite many days searching, in the end I had no choice but to resort to fantasy-style photostock and using a graphic artist to try and ‘Gaelicise’ the result as far as possible.
I was never entirely comfortable with the resulting image. The fanboy, Red-Sonya fantasy style image I ended up with, really didnât work that well for the culturally-realistic feel I was trying to reintroduce in our mythological narratives (not to mind the lack of realism around Irish weather!). As a result, this cover (deservedly) endured some serious piss-taking (predominantly from my partner, daughter, editor [female], proof-reader [female]).
Despite that, it proved remarkably popular until I could finally afford to replace it. Skimpy-clothed model aside, I think the standing stone, the colour and the background terrain worked really well.
The Fenian Cycle, Books and Leather Bikinis
Presenter Andy Linton interviews myself and fellow Irish writer and musician Pat Higgins at ‘Capital Irish’. You can find the interview below:
I start talking at about five minutes in and keep on talking (mostly about the Fenian Cycle, the influence it’s had on my own writing, a little bit about the proposed Liath, Celtic Warrior television series etc.) until someone wrestles the mircophone off me.
Pat Higgins finally gets a chance to talk a little about his book ‘Begotten Not Made‘ a character drama set in Galway based on true events in Pat’s family.
Favourite Irish Imbas Characters
Fiachail mac Codhna
Fiacail mac Codhna is a swaggering and irrepressible warrior from the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series. Handsome, charming, and shrewdly strategic in battle, Fiacailâs potential for tribal greatness is undermined only by an over-sexed libido and a strong weakness for women, particularly where it relates to Bodhmhall ua Baoiscne â aunt of the famous Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Fiacailâs quite a lot of fun to write. He has no delusions of grandeur and he can be charmingly crass at times – particularly where it relates to sex â but his humour and genuine attraction to Bodhmhall means heâs a credible third player in the love triangle with Bodhmhall and Liath Luachra. His bawdy humour and blunt demeanour, meanwhile, offers some welcome relief from some of the more serious and intellectual characters in the series.
When not chasing women, Fiacail likes to walk around naked in the morning having conversations with Great Father Sun. Much of this involves trying to convince Father Sun not to cause the end of the world but also to give him a pony.
Over the course of the original Fenian Cycle narratives, Fiacail turns up on several occasions, usually as a kind of foster father/advisor to the young Fionn mac Cumhaill although, at one point, heâs also referred to as a reaver.
In modern Irish, âfiacailâ is actually the word for âtoothâ, so itâs an odd name for a character and the ancient Fenian Cycle manuscripts offer little explanation of its derivation.
Saint Patrick and The Goat
I came across an interesting folk legend in Skerries last time I was home, which tickled my fancy. Like much of our native topographical narratives, the story relates to Saint Patrick (many of the pre-Christian cultural sites including holy springs, wells, and others were renamed for him by the Christian Church as their influence grew in Ireland).
This story relates to a cluster of islands off the seaside village Skerries, in County Fingal. The local and most common version of the story tells how St. Patrick was expelled from the Wicklow region by the (cough) pagan natives. Disgruntled, by his lack of success, the Saint headed north and landed on a small island (âthe outer island still called by his nameâ – Inis PĂĄdraig or St. Patrickâs Island) off Skerries which he intended to use as a safe base from which to convert the ânativesâ. Accompanying him on this new mission, was a goat which he used for companionship and as a source of milk.
One day, while he was off on the mainland haranguing the locals, a separate bunch of them turned up on the island where they found Patrickâs goat. Feeling hungry, and having forgotten to pack a picnic lunch, they killed the goat and ate it before heading back to the mainland.
Patrick, returning to the island after a hard day at the pulpit, was upset (inconsolable) to find his goat missing. Full of fury, he took two giant strides (the first, taking him to Colt Island, the second to Red Island) to step back onto the mainland to confront the people living in modern-day Skerries.
Gathering the natives on the beach, he accused them outright of eating his goat and when they attempted to deny it, the guilty locals found themselves unable to speak and could only respond in bleats. When they were finally ready to confess their sins and drop to their knees before the Great Saint (and the Superior God, of course) their voices finally returned.
This story is pretty typical of the religious propaganda of the day but there are also several very familiar mythological constructs running through the story (and I havenât included all of them). Overall, the current story is pretty typical of âLazy Man Folkloreâ or âTourist Folkloreâ (where the focus is more on the entertaining and fantastical elements of the story rather than the more interesting facts behind it). Itâs a fun story but itâd still be nice if the Tourist Board could get off its butt and add a bit more of the actual history next time around.
The Long Way Home
TĂĄ cumha i ndiaidh an bhaile ag titim isteach orm inniu.
It’s an interesting dilemma with respect to homesickness when you’re living on the wrong side of the planet. In the past, I could always live away with the knowledge that I could jump on a plane and be back in Cork within 2-3 days.
In the days of Covid however, with its quarantines, lack of aircraft and astronomical flight costs, such reassuraces no longer carry much weight. I expect to see a lot more immersion in Irish writing over the year to come.
Irish Mythology in Advertising
Narratives and concepts from Irish mythology – or any other mythology for that matter – are often used by the advertising industry. One of the reasons for this is that mythology offers commonly recognised cultural narratives and culturla constructs which can be easily adapted to the advertising industry’s use of simplified visual concepts, stereotypes and targeted soundbites.
I recently came across some images for a Guiness campaign linked to the Guinness-sponsored All-Ireland Hurling Championship (developed in 2005 by Yoke Productions) which uses the mythological narrative of CĂș Chulainn as the basis for a campaign entitled ‘Stuff of Legends’. That was actually a very clever idea. The well-known CĂș Chulainn narrative already has an established link to the ancient sport of hurling but by linking it to the product (Guinness) through the use of the word ‘Stuff’ (this has an association to Guiness through ‘Aah, great stuff!’ etc.) and sponsorship of the Hurling Championship, a whole web of clever patriotic associations were made between Irish culture.Â
Fortunately, this being a home-grown Irish production, the narrative didn’t veer too far into the ‘fantasy’ trap (although it did of course utilise the more fantastical story elements of the Ulster Cycle stories). Looking at the imagry produced for the advertisments, you’d have to say the advertisers did an excellent job. The ‘look’ and the ‘theme’ are quintisentially Irish, the adds are visually attractive and, overall, it works very well.
They did however – from a mythologyical perspective – cock up one of the three campaign images. Can you tell which one it is? Image A, Image B or Image C?
The Answer:
The answer, of course, is Image B. CĂș Chulainn has no association with the Giants Causeway in the image. This was actually a Fionn mac Cumhaill story.
Although, eh … I don’t think Fionn had a hurley!
LIATH LUACHRA 3: THE SEEKING
The Irish Tardis
THE IRISH TARDIS
Spotted in the Wicklow hills about three years ago.
Naturally, it didn’t work.
Bloody Eirecom! (%!!$#!)!
Love on The Aran Islands
Given the roaring success of ‘Normal People’, we’ve jumped on the sexy Irish band-wagon with the attached cover shot for our new range of exciting romantic and erotic novels under the brand âLove on The Aran Islandsâ. Titles include:
- First Touch at Killronan (Cill RĂłnĂĄin)
- Fast Times at the Dark Fort
- Fierce Goings On at DĂșn Aonghasa
- Forty Shades of Bungolwa
- Hot Sweats in Innisheer
Hopefully, you actually didnât believe all that.
This photo was actually taken during some extraordinarily hot weather out on the islands post Covid-19, just a day after a storm that knocked the telephone mast down.
Following the Warrior Path
A scene from the novel Fionn: Defence of RĂĄth BlĂĄdhma which is set in the isolated settlement of RĂĄth BlĂĄdhma. In this scene, Bearach (a young boy) is talking with his hero, the woman warrior Liath Luachra (The Grey One) who tries to explain to him that being a warrior – gaiscĂoch – isn’t all it’s made out to be .
—————————————————
âI wish to be like you, Liath Luachra. I wish to be a gaiscĂoch – a true warrior.â
She stared at him in genuine astonishment. A moment later, she started to laugh. It was a rare sound for her and one that was surprisingly soft, if tinged with an underlying melancholy. âAh, Bearach. You are truly the only one to make me raise a smile.â
âI make no jest, Grey One. I wish to be a gaiscĂoch like you. One day I hope to equal your skill as a fighter, your ability to work through the fight in your head. I want to learn courage such as yours. You know no fear when you are Out in the Great Wild.â
âAh, yes. The Great Wild backs down when I tramp through its forests. Wolves shit themselves and slink into the undergrowth at my passing. Even the Faceless Ones, the ghosts of hazy glades, hide and tell each other fearful tales of the dreaded Liath Luachra who will come through the shadows to take their heads.â
The youth blushed at her gentle mockery. Picking at a loose thread on the hem of his tunic, he wound it about his index finger, tightening it until the tip of the digit grew white.
âYou are the best of us here in RĂĄth BlĂĄdhma.â
âWhich only goes to show how little of the Out youâve actually seen, Bearach. There are many out there who would best me in a fight.â
âBut AodhĂĄn says you beat DĂșn Baoiscneâs finest warriors. He says they fear you, that your reputation for war makes them quake in their boots.â
âAodhĂĄn needs to harness his tongue. And his fancies.â
âHe told me about the day you first came to DĂșn Baoiscne with Na CineĂĄltaĂ â the Kindly Ones â your fian of a hundred men. He says that you crushed their best fighters in single combat. Humiliated them. That you were too agile, too strong to be defeated.â
Liath Luachra ground her teeth together.
âI did defeat them. And, yes, I did humiliate them. But that was a mistake for which they never forgave me.â She shrugged. âI understand that now. Iâd probably have reacted in a similar manner if I was defeated by someone I considered weaker or in some way inferior.â
âBut you showed them!â There was a shrill enthusiasm to the boyâs voice that made her cringe.
âYou have a warped understanding of things, Bearach. I accept that the fault is not yours for you base it on the tall tales of those who should know better. I will have strong words with AodhĂĄn about putting such stories in your head.â
The boy looked confused, almost disbelieving. âAodhĂĄn has not spoken true?â
Liath Luachra shifted awkwardly on her seat. She was uncomfortable having conversations of such depth with anyone other than Bodhmhall.
âAodhĂĄnâs claims hold a sliver of truth. I did lead Na CineĂĄltaĂ but that band never had more than ten men at any one time. They were brutal men, little more than killers -â Her voice trailed off. âYou must understand, Bearach, my life back then … that was a different life. I was a different person. I had a haunting on me, a haunting so venomous that I became little better than a wounded animal: vicious, savage and very cruel.â
Unable to bear his trusting gaze, she dropped her own eyes to the floor. âYou have seen the way a dog will snap at a wound in its paw.â
The boy nodded slowly.
âIt is the reaction of a stupid beast who knows no better. It experiences pain and immediately thinks it has been attacked. In its attempt to retaliate, to strike back, it hurts itself even more.â
She reached down into the fire and pulled a burning brand from the embers. Part of the wood had burned away and much of it was scorched and black but the tip was still red hot.
âThat was the way of me back in those days. Except that I didnât strike at my own limbs. No, I was far too smart for that. I struck out at others instead. Bandits, reavers, murderers, sometimes even innocent people who merely looked at me the wrong way, at the wrong time on the wrong day.â
She placed the tip of the burning brand against the back of her left hand. Bearach stared in horror as smoke from the skin rose up, the stink of burning flesh filing the air. Liath Luachra showed no sign of even noticing. Her eyes flared with a ragged intensity.
âI had a belly full of venom, a heart full of gangrene and battle rage. This world had cut me to the quick and I was determined to hurt it back, to carve its filthy influence out of my heart. I hacked and cleaved a route through blood and sinew and bone when all that time my real target, the one thing I was truly trying to strike, was myself.â
She paused and took a deep breath as she dropped the firebrand back into the fire. Her forehead was sweating profusely. Her heart thundered and there was a sickly taste in her mouth. She focused her attention on these other physical sensations, refusing to acknowledge the pain in her hand.
âSo yes, in a martial sense, that made me strong. It made me impervious to fear and, for a time, to pain. It also made me impervious to those things that make us human: compassion, friendship, affection.â
Her eyes raised abruptly to lock directly on the boyâs. âAnd that,â she snarled, âis what you must sacrifice to be a true gaiscĂoch.â
Liath Luachra: The Seeking
How do you catch and kill a ghost?
In the bleak Luachair valley, the woman warrior Liath Luachraâs winter seclusion is disrupted by a desperate plea for help. Raising her fian (battle group) to rescue a comradeâs abducted sister however, she quickly discovers this simple âSeekingâ is far more perilous than anything she could have imagined.
Traversing the wilderness of ancient Ireland in pursuit of an enigmatic raiding party, the woman warrior encounters old enemies who seek to undermine her and new allies who cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, within her own war band, secrets have surfaced that threaten her leadership and her grip on her warriors.
Faced with horrors she’d thought long forgotten, a chilling spectre from her past and new threats rising in country’s south-east, Liath Luachra must revert to the very worst part of herself to survive.
And confront the phantoms of her past and present.
But you cannot stalk â or kill â a ghost.