The Seanachai is a collection of original essays and podcasts written, produced and voiced by the handsome devil pictured on the right, Patrick E. McLean.
The Seanachai has been featured on the WBGH’s Morning Stories podcast, has been a podcast pick of the week and featured podcast on iTunes. The Patrick/the podcast are also the recipient of two Parsec awards for new media fiction.
Here is a nice introductory sampling of some of the best episodes.
So who is this Patrick E. McLean?
Patrick finds, tells and creates stories.
In addition to the Seanachai, he is also the author of How to Succeed in Evil.
He’s worked as an advertising Creative Director, copywriter, bartender a waiter, a landscaper and a lifeguard. He’s been in the One Show (a rather big thing in the ad world) He’s also been shot. And both in the same week.
What’s with the name the Seanachai? (the short answer)
The site is named after a Gaelic word for storyteller. (It is also further evidence that Gaelic is little more than English after you’ve had three more than too many.)
What’s with the name the Seanachai? (long answer)
In Ireland, in the days before books and printing, there was a class of people called Seanachai. These folks made their living by traveling from village to village and telling stories. Sometimes they would spin tales from the great tapestry of folklore that comprises the mythology of Ireland and other times they’d just repeat the gossip from the next town over.
As romantic as that might sound, it’s not the wonderful part. The wonderful part is that centuries later, when Gaelic was being systematically suppressed, people calling themselves Seanachai would travel from town to town seemingly for the sole purpose of carrying on the ancient tradition of telling stories. At night they would loiter in the pubs and spin their yarns (now that’s a living!) but during the day (I’m guessing more towards the afternoon) they would gather the children, lead them off into the countryside to teach them the Irish language and culture in secret.