Voices in the Glen Performing Member Eve Burton submitted the following write-up of the Irish Heritage Story Swap at Quince Orchard Library on March 16:
Saturday, March 16, was a beautiful day, and we had a great turnout of tellers and listeners of all ages for The Quince Orchard Library’s Irish Heritage Story Swap.
I, eve burton, started the telling with “Bill & the Google-Eyed Goblins” from the book of that title by Alice Schertle.
Margaret Chatham followed with “The Black Horse,” from Jacob Jacobs’ Celtic Fairy Tales.
Louise Capon shared a wonderful story full of handknitted socks, “Clever Tom and the Leprechaun” from the book of that title by Linda Schute.
Cricket Parmalee showed us her calendar of Ireland, from the year she visited Ireland, 1989. She shared a variety of “tidbits” about the W. Clare Railroad, which was undependable. And she sang a song for us, “The Mountains O’ Mourne,” from a poem written by Percy French in 1896, and later set to music that is still with us.
Anne Sheldon recited “The Song of Wandering Angeus“ by William Butler Yeats.
Auvi Chakder shared a story he wrote himself and which we named “Damien and Rose” after two of the characters in the tale.
Rishi Nixon told a story called “The Lawyer and the Devil.” It was about a man who had three sons: a priest, a doctor and a lawyer.
Bill Mayhew shared some of his famous jokes.
Margaret told a joke, too, about what the Irish invented; and the Scotts stole.
I closed the tale-telling with “Oisin in tir na nOg,“ the last tale from the book Tales from Old Ireland, collected by Malachy Doyle.
Then we enjoyed cherry squares made by Margaret and gingersnaps made by me.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: We’ll be having another story swap at Quince Orchard Library, Saturday, June 8, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
ALSO: Scary Stories for Halloween, Tuesday, October 29, time TBA, but likely 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Hope to see you all then!