HOW STORIES WORK OUT (OR DON’T!)

It’s interesting for me to look back on some of the older posts and articles on my website (at Irish Imbas Books) and see how my plans and intentions have changed over the years. I recently came across an article dating from seven years back where I’d outlined some of my book plans including

* LIATH LUACHRA: Sons of the Land
* BODHMHALL: The Black Hag
* FIONN: The Salmon of Secret Wisdom

The first of those (LIATH LUACHRA: Sons of the Land) did go ahead and was, indeed, published but it came out under the title ‘LIATH LUACHRA: The Swallowed‘. At the point in time where I wrote that article, I knew the book would have a strong ‘wolf’ element to it. The Irish word for ‘wolf’ is ‘mactíre’ which literally means ‘son of the land,’ so it seemed a logical title at the time. I think I ended up changing the title to ‘The Swallowed’ as this aligned more effectively with the theme of the book.

BODHMHALL: The Black Hag was a book I’d intended to write as a companion novel for ‘Liath Luachra: The Grey One’ but, in the end, many of the elements I’d intended to put in ‘The Black Hag’, ended up in FIONN: The Adversary and it didn’t go ahead.

‘FIONN: The Salmon of Secret Wisdom’ is a book I still intend to write but with the 6th book in the series being released tomorrow (FIONN: The Betrayal), there were obviously some important elements to the story that had to take place first before I could even start my own take on the famous Salmon of Knowledge (and it would be a different take).

Once the FIONN series is finished, I do have plans to start another series with Fionn/Demne which will follow the more established parts of the Fenian narratives.

FIONN: The Betrayal will be released tomorrow (5th April 2025).

Arguing with a Warrior Woman

The woman warrior Liath Luachra (The Grey One) has never been the easiest person to talk to which means that her interactions with someone as bullish as Crimall (a Clann Baoisnce warrior) often provides some good opportunity for writing dialogue.

In ‘Liath Luachra: The Seeking’, this opportunity is heightened further when Crimall has suspicions around her motives and the woman warrior has secrets of her own she’d rather not talk about.

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‘When we first crossed paths,’ said Crimall. ‘You spoke of your encounter with the díbhearg, of your attempts to release the Clann Baoiscne girls and of the raiders untimely return.’

Liath Luachra eyed him coldly.

‘Yes.’

‘And of killing one raider during your escape.’

Deciding there was nothing worthwhile to say, Liath Luachra said nothing.

‘I have a wrinkle in my head, Grey One. A crease of curiosity that allows me no ease. Perhaps you could smoothen that wrinkle out by satisfying my curiosity.’

‘What is it you wish to know?’

Crimall cleared his throat, briefly adjusting the sword belt around his waist. ‘During your flight from the díbhearg, did any of the raiders speak or shout?’

Liath Luachra felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s a simple enough question. Did the raiders say anything of relevance: a name, a destination, some indication of their origin?’

She shook her head.

‘You have no doubts?’ he persisted, regarding her with an expression of mild disbelief. ‘Amid all that bustle and violent activity, the raiders didn’t utter the merest whisper!’

This time, the woman warrior responded with a sour expression. ‘I’ve already told you what I know. The díbhearg warriors barely spoke.’

‘Aaah!’ Crimall exclaimed, grasping onto her words like a drowning man to flotsam. ‘You say they “barely” spoke, which suggests they must have said something, no matter how trivial. What exactly did they say?’

Liath Luachra lips compressed in anger. ‘The only one who spoke was the man I killed, and in truth I heard but a single word. One that, given the events, was difficult to decipher.’

‘Yes, yes. But what was it?’

The woman warrior regarded him coolly then abruptly dropped her head to one-side and opened her mouth, her tongue lolling out.

‘Aaarrgh.’

Straightening her head again, she regarded the Clann Baoiscne man with stony dispassion.

Crimall considered her in frosty silence for the space of several heartbeats. ‘We’ll depart when you give the word,’ he said at last and stiffly walked away.

Finn (Cough) McCool Versus Ming The Merciless

Generally speaking, Irish cultural stories and ‘mythology’ get bastardized when represented in creative projects produced by overseas interests.

The trailer dates from 2005 and refers to a film called ‘Finn mac Cool’ (Ouch! Brutal anglicization of the name and not a good start for cultural authenticity). It is, in fact, a promotional piece for a film that was never actually made. This happens sometimes when a movie’s being proposed and talked-up, but the producers haven’t been able to raise the funding to complete it.

Either way, though, you have to give the producers credit for using Irish actors (or at least someone who can successfully put on an Irish accent – not looking at you, Tom Cruise and Christopher Walken!)

The ‘trailer’ is very much a product of its time and reflects the difficulty in adapting an Irish cultural narrative for an international audience. It can be done of course, but to have any long-term resonance or credibility beyond the initial marketing hype/push, it really needs to stay true to the cultural origin and the source material. For that reason, when producers are looking at adapting a ‘mythological’ story, they really have to decide early on which way they’re going to jump. This was very much something I came up against when I was providing cultural/technical advice for one of my own books being adapted by Hollywood.

The approach used in the promotional trailer, very much reflects an English or American person’s interpretation of what such a film should look like (as opposed to how a native Irish person might view/ produce it). The ‘trailer’ has some pretty dodgy bits that I’ve actually grown fond of (the pirouette deaths, Ming the Merciless as Goll mac Morna – from Dublin apparently, given the accent, the dodgy giant etc.) and, over the years, I’ve increasingly come to respect the producers for trying to make a Fenian narrative-based movie at a time when getting such funding really was an uphill battle.

I’m pretty sure a screen production of an ‘Irish mythology’ story will eventually become a reality but it’ll be interesting to see whether it’s a culturally resonant Irish version or an American Celtic Fantasy version. I guess time will tell.

Meanwhile, have a look at the trailer HERE.

Beacáin Scammalach – Cloud Mushroom

We’re back in the office this last day or two and, in between writing FIONN 6, I’ve done a small piece on ‘Beacáin Scammalach’ – Cloud Mushroom – you’ll know what that is if you’ve read any of the ‘Liath Luachra’ books.

This article looks at why Liath Luachra uses it, why I’ve included it in the books, and what overall relevance it has. I’ll be making that available for key followers in the next edition of the newsletter. You can find a link to that HERE.

The Christmas Sale

Well, its that time of the year when we can finally finish up and walk away from the desk, hopefully not to return until the new year.

On a personal level, I’ll be glad to see the back of 2024 but, as usual, I remain hopeful for next year.

This Christmas, to celebrate another year of publishing, I’m significantly reducing the price of Book 1 and Book 2 of the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series (now selling at $0.99 and $2.99 respectively). These will be available through all the major bookstores and you can find the links below.

The books will remain at this price until 3 January 2025, when they’ll return to full price (and when I return to the desk).

Thanks to all of you who’ve supported my work over the past year. I wish you and your families a peaceful holiday season.

Brian

KINDLE: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIXHX88

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/…/fionn-defence-of-rath-bladhma-1

APPLE: https://books.apple.com/…/fionn-defence-of…/id840271574

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/…/fionn…/1118904278…

GOOGLE: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XnBjDwAAQBAJ

[Paperback available through Amazon or all good bookshops.]

A River Scene

In the ‘Fionn mac Cumhaill Series’ of books, there’s little love lost between the woman warrior Liath Luachra and Muirne Muncháem, mother of Fionn mac Cumhaill. This little scene from FIONN: The Adversary demonstrates how they have to work to get along to survive the hazards of the Great Wild.


On the southern bank of the river, the warrior Liath Luachra sat contemplating her reflection. The still pool, located to the side of a slow-flowing inlet, mirrored her haggard expression with unsettling accuracy. Her face was gaunt, her eyes framed by black rings, the high cheekbones sharpened by the shaded hollows beneath. The physical evidence from the toll of days of hard running and combat was impossible to ignore. Of more concern however was the worrying sense her internal resilience had also diminished, withered not only by the gruelling journey but the loss of Bodhmhall and Demne.

Her eyes turned to regard the coursing river with a mixture of bitterness and trepidation. A fast-flowing stretch of surging white water, just the sight of it was still enough to make her shiver. Less than a day earlier, she’d barely managed to crawl from its liquid grasp, half-drowned and at the limit of her endurance. Stretched exhausted on the sandy bank, she’d wanted nothing more than to lie there and sleep. Instead, she’d somehow forced herself to her feet and stumbled downriver, combing the bank for Bodhmhall and her nephew.

Several hundred paces later, numb with fatigue, she’d crawled into a cluster of fern inside the treeline, curled into a damp ball and promptly passed out. Later that afternoon, when she’d come to her senses, she felt stiff and cold and far from recovered. Staring up at patches of sky through the breaks in the forest canopy, she could tell from the grey quality of the light that nightfall was closing in. Despite feeling every bruise, every individual cut, scratch and strained muscle, she’d pushed herself off the ground and started searching again.

By the time dusk seeped in, she’d still found no sign of Bodhmhall or Demne although she did locate Muirne Muncháem and Gleor Red Hand. The Lamraighe couple had washed up together on a short mud flat over a thousand paces downriver from where she’d collapsed. Despite the gentle incline up to more solid ground however, they hadn’t progressed beyond the water’s edge.

Gleor, unconscious, had an ashen pallor that matched the hue of his greying beard. The Lamraighe leader’s face bore numerous cuts and bruises and she could see washed out bloodstains on his tunic, although she was unable to tell if they were his.

Muirne – the Flower of Almhu – normally a woman obsessed with her appearance, was sitting dismally in the mud beside him, caked in sludge and filth. Marks in the surface of the mud bank revealed how her attempts to shift her husband towards the bank had been stymied by the stocky weight of his body.

The two women had stared bleakly at one other for several heartbeats, their expressions lacking any warmth. Without a word, the Grey One had abruptly turned her gaze away and started off downriver. Muirne’s despairing pleas had trailed her until, finally, she’d halted and turned sharply to retrace her steps.

Cursing under her breath, she’d helped the Flower of Almhu drag the insensible Gleor up onto the bank and into a small clearing several paces inside the trees. Using her sword – miraculously, still in its scabbard – Liath Luachra had cut some saplings and constructed a rough lean-to in which they’d placed the comatose old man.

Not a single word was exchanged over the entire period the two women worked together. Holding the Lamraighe couple responsible for their predicament, Liath Luachra bore no love for either of them and knew the feeling was mutual. Despite this, when the shelter was complete, she’d crawled inside to sleep beside them, too tired to question why she’d returned to help them.

Too tired to do anything but sleep.

Draugr

Draugr in Dublin City, a graphic novel/comic released by Irish artist Gerry Hunt in 2012, tells the story of a reincarnated Viking (Draugr is an old Viking term for a resurrected warrior) who reawakens when his grave is looted by some Dublin locals. The avenging Viking then goes on the rampage to recover his possessions but finds himself increasingly infuriated by modern additions to the city skyline, which include The Spire, Liberty Hall, and the new €380m National Conference Centre on George’s Quay.

Hunt, originally a professional architect (for 25 years) moved to political cartoons and then comics much later in his career (in the 1980s), founding ‘Dublin Comics’ in 2005 to publish his most well-known works. Draugr in Dublin City appears to have been quite a significant creative shift for Hunt, who’s prior work up to that point was very much centred around contemporary Dublin City settings and action. In that regard, there’s a lovely quote in a review from Ian Keogh (The Slings and Arrows Graphic Novel Review site) who describes the effect as “a shock to the system, like seeing the Walking Dead invade Coronation Street”.

A 2010 interview with the Irish Independent reveals some of the rationale behind that creative shift. In the article, Hunt (who was 74 at the time) admitted that it was a day spent taking pictures around Dublin that inspired the actions of his Viking. Clearly, what he saw offended his architectural values.

“I just thought The Spire, that has to go; and I’ve hated the top of Liberty Hall for years. It’s like a bloody accordion you would squeeze in and out. The new Conference Centre isn’t big enough either, with too much contrast between the stone and the glass. Mind you, I had my Viking Draugr borrow a few panes to make a paraglider,” he said.

I haven’t been able to get a copy of ‘Draugr’ so I can’t really comment on the quality of the book (although the reviews are very positive). That said, I get the impression Hunt was very much an innovator and a creative leader in his day. I have to admit, I’m really damn impressed  with the drive of a 74 year-old artist who took on an opponent he couldn’t possibly hope to defeat (the Dublin Skyline) and then thrashed it so effectively in his own way.

Forthcoming Production

This is a brief update on books that are planned /anticipated for release over the next 3-12 months. There’s further detail available in the September newsletter (Vóg) but I’m sure there’s something in the list below for everyone.

Confirmed Releases:

FIONN: The Betrayal (book six in the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series)

Although it’s still unclear whether this will the final book in the series or not, this follow up to ‘FIONN: The Tightening Trail’ will be available in March/April 2025 (and, hopefully, available free to newsletter supporters for Christmas). There will be A LOT of plot resolutions and revelations in this book.

Potential Releases:

At least one of the following will be released in 2025.

(1) Liath Luachra: The Hungry People (LL5)

The follow up to ‘Liath Luachra: The Metal Men’, this covers Liath Luachra’s deepening relationship with Bodhmhall and her conflict with new and existing enemies.

(2) Liath Luachra: The Quiet One

Another stand-alone novel, this follows on from ‘Liath Luachra: The Great Wild‘ and details another chilling adventure of the young warrior woman before she joins Bressal and Na Cinéaltaí.

(3) ‘Irish Mythology’ 101

‘Irish Mythology’ 101 essentially outlines the fundamentals of how ‘mythology’ works and how you can make sense of it /use it in contemporary life. It’s very much based on the cultural parameters within which I work and operate on a personal basis.

(4) Beara Series

A new adventure from Ireland’s greatest mythological detective (Muiris O’Súilleabháin ) as he deals with the double threat of a murderer and a dangerous banshee.

(5) The Irish Battle Trilogy

A trilogy of books on a famous Irish battle and the somewhat insane characters who took part in it. This is currently the lowest on my list of priorities.

An Irish ‘Mythology’ Test

Irish (and other) cultural stories frequently get used in advertising campaigns – particularly where the base story can be linked to an ‘Irish’-related product. A lot of the time however, those advertisements can be misrepresentative or simply get things wrong.

Take this Guinness campaign for the Guinness-sponsored All-Ireland Hurling Championship, for example. If you look closely, you’ll see that one of the three Cú Chulainn images in the advertising campaign got its sources mixed up. Can you tell which one it was?

Photo A (The Bull)

(b) Photo B (The Giant)

Photo C (The Hound)

If you can’t work it out, you’ll find the answer in the original post HERE.

No-one cares if you scream!

This is a tagline I was using recently for ‘The Great Wild’ – an unintended spin on the iconic ‘Alien’ feature film tagline (“In space, no-one one can hear you scream”). I only realised that a day or two after coming up with it.

That said, at the time, I felt my tagline worked in terms of capturing the ‘isolation’ concept of the Great Wild, as well as the callous nature of some of its inhabitants. The ‘Alien’ tagline, however, was exceptionally clever in that it also captured the whole nature of space (the vacuum meaning that you can’t, of course, physically scream).

I don’t really feel this kind of ‘market writing’ is my forte but I guess, you just do what you can and look at other talented people for inspiration.

‘Liath Luachra: The Great Wild’ is currently running at a reduced price ($2:00 instead of $4.99) but I’ll probably be going back to the original price in a few weeks.

A Moment on the Islet

There was one morning when the world dissolved, obliterated in a downpour that melted the distant islands, then the immediate surroundings as well.

Preceded by a cluster of unusually threatening, blue-bruised clouds, the incoming deluge had given plenty of warning. As a result, the girl was comfortably settled under a solitary oak at the tip of the inlet outcrop, cloak tugged tight around her shoulders as she waited to watch the clouds to unload their burden.

The downpour rattled the lake’s surface with a startling intensity that she’d never seen before, a ferocious hail that scattered white-foamed eruptions across the water around her. Mirrored by countless ripples on that shuddering surface, the resulting kaleidoscope of movement was giddyingly, but terrifyingly, beautiful.

Tethered to the island by nothing but a thin strip of rock, the girl felt a swell of panic when even that link disappeared, and her existence reduced to the tree above and three paces of the rocky outcrop. Conscious that there was nothing beyond the fusillade of rain, she was struck by a sudden, shocking sense of absence.

Terrified at the prospect of being cut adrift, she peered desperately through the deluge for any hint of physical substance, for any trace of natural solidness, for … anything.

To her trembling relief, the downpour eased soon after, and although it seemed to take far too long a time, the outline of the island took substance through the rain. Whole and expansive, the Great Mother’s bulk emerged from the surrounding murk. Slowly, ponderously, it reached across the thin strip of stone, embraced the girl in her fulsome whole and, soothingly, reassuringly, brought her home.

[Excerpt from ‘Liath Luachra: The Great Wild’, released 2023]

Seven Fianna

I came across an interesting project last week by artist Zhaochen Vincent Wu (based in the States) who was working on a cross-cultural proposal merging Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’ with the Fenian stories.

He explains it as follows:

“This set of design is for my project “Seven Fianna”, which is an adoption to the classic movie “Seven Samurai”. My version took place in Medieval Ireland: A Mountain Spirit robs and kills shepherds and their herds from a small village. The village lost almost all food and sacrifice to the Gods. In order to save the village, the village head hired the “Fianna” to fight for them.”

Obviously, this reveals that the artist had a very limited knowledge  or understanding of Irish culture, what a fian was, etc. etc.

I have to admit, blending themes and elements from two or more different genres can often produce some interesting work however when you attempt to do it with two different cultures, it its a whole different ‘kettle of fish’. It’s not uncommon to see such projects ending up with a complete mess of a final product.

Intriguing though the concept of a potential blend of ancient Irish culture and Japanese culture might be, the truth is that it’s actually the individual resonance and authenticity of those different cultures, that makes them interesting. Once you meld one with the other you end up with something completely different (a bit like melding colours like yellow and green to make the colour blue), The final product has no cultural integrity or authenticity and, as an  entertainment, will probably resemble a generic fantasy story at best.

That said, I could be wrong. It may be possible to create a narrative product that successfully merges two cultures.

I just haven’t come across one yet.