Seanchai / Scealai

The folklore found in the essays of Synge are an accurate representation of what people actually said. He understood the tradition of storytelling and the two forms it takes.

1. Seanchai are stories about local events, family sagas and short accounts of fairies and other supernatural beings.These stories were traditionally told by either men or women.

2. Scealai were concerned with tales of a hero, and would be quite lengthy. These stories were usually told during winter evenings as work finished early during these dark months. These stories were generally told by men who were held in high respect by the community for their skill.


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