The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Seanchaí Eamon Kelly honoured in Gneeveguilla
PEOPLE from Gneeveguilla and beyond came out to honour the legendary seanchaí and actor Eamon Kelly last weekend, and the discipline of storytelling adored and practiced by him was aptly woven into the fabric of the second Eamon Kelly Weekend.
His memory was sparked to life on Friday (September 30) as modern storyteller Raymond O’Sullivan made a few calls into public houses in Gneeveguilla, following on from his visits to local schools beforehand.
Raymond was again at hand on Saturday for a hugely successful evening at Teach Fáilte, as up to 50 schoolchildren listened to stories and learned how to construct tales of their own, before music, song and dance followed from 8pm.
Gneeveguilla-born journalist Donal Hickey conducted a bus tour of the area on Sunday, with stops made at Kelly’s statue, his birthplace at Gullane, as well as the birthplaces of local poets Eoghan Rua Ó Suilleabhain and Aogán Ó Rathaile.
The weekend’s emphasis on this occasion was on getting people of all ages telling stories, a craft that organising committee Chairman Cormac Collins explained is synonymous with Sliabh Luachra.
“The area is already famed for its rich store of traditional music, dancing, and poetry, but the art of storytelling is also an intrinsic part of our heritage,” he said.
The 2016 staging was attended by family members of Kelly’s, including son Eoin, his sister Bridie Siochrú, nephews and nieces, and there are already plans afoot to make the Eamon Kelly Weekend a permanent fixture on Gneeveguilla’s roster on the back of this successful edition.