Aseanchaí (Irish:[ˈʃan̪ˠəxiː]or[ʃan̪ˠəˈxiː]; plural:Irish:seanchaithe[ˈʃan̪ˠəxəhɪ]) is a traditionalGaelic storyteller or historian, serving as anoral repository. InScottish Gaelic the word isseanchaidh (pronounced[ˈʃɛn̪ˠɛxɪ]; plural:seanchaidhean). The word is oftenanglicised asshanachie (/ˈʃænəxiː,ˌʃænəˈxiː/SHAN-ə-khee, -KHEE).
The wordseanchaí, which was spelledseanchaidhe (pluralseanchaidhthe) before theIrishspelling reform of 1948, means a bearer of "old lore" (seanchas).[1] In theGaelic culture, long lyric poems which were recited by bards (filí; filidhe in the original pre-1948 spelling) in a tradition echoed by theseanchaithe.
Seanchaithe were servants to the heads of the lineages and kept track of important information for them: laws, genealogies, annals, literature, etc. After the destruction of Gaelic civilization in the 1600s as a result of the English colonialism, these more formal roles ceased to exist and the termseanchaí came to be associated instead with traditional storytellers from the lower classes.[2]
Theseanchaithe made use of a range of storytelling conventions, styles of speech and gestures that were peculiar to the Irish folk tradition and characterized them as practitioners of their art. Although tales from literary sources found their way into the repertoires of theseanchaithe, a traditional characteristic of their art was the way in which a large corpus of tales was passed from one practitioner to another without ever being written down.Seanchaithe passed information orally through storytelling from one generation to the next about Irish folklore, myth, history and legend, in medieval times.[2]
The distinctive role and craft of theseanchaí is particularly associated with theGaeltacht (the Irish-speaking areas of Ireland), although storytellers recognizable asseanchaithe were also to be found in rural areas throughout English-speaking Ireland. In their storytelling, some displayed archaicHiberno-English idioms and vocabulary distinct from the style of ordinary conversation.
Members of theIrish Cultural Revival took a great interest in the art of theseanchaí, and through them the stories that they told were written down, published, and distributed to a global audience.[2]
At events such asmummers' festival inNew Inn, County Galway, and theAll-IrelandFleadh Ceoil storytellers who preserve the stories and oratory style of theseanchaithe continue to display their art and compete for awards.Eddie Lenihan is one notable modern-dayseanchaí, based inCounty Clare.[3]
ActorEamon Kelly was well known for his portrayals of the traditionalseanachaí, and ran several series of one-man shows in Dublin'sAbbey Theatre.[4]
The term is also found withinScottish Gaelic andManx where it is speltseanchaidh ([ˈʃɛn̪ˠɛxɪ]) andshennaghee ([ˈʃɛnaxiː]) respectively. All uses ultimately have their roots in thetraditional poets attached to the households of ancientGaelic nobility. In Scotland, it is commonly anglicised asshen(n)achie.[5]
The Shanachies are a cricket club playing in the Inner West Harbour grade competition in Sydney.[6]
