Every day storyteller
AHEAD OF HIS HAWK’S WELL GIG THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AUTHOR MICHAEL HARDING TELLS REPORTER HOW HIS STORYTELLNG IS A WAY OF CHRONICLING THE ORDINARY; LIFE INSPIRES HIM
TELL stories like musicians like to play tunes. I go around the country talking to people and then I go back, write and tell a story.”
Michael Harding is a short- story writer, novelist, and playwright. Born in County Cavan he now resides in a house located close to the Arigna Mines in County Roscommon.
Most widely known as the author of such plays as; Strawboys, Una Pooka, Misogynist, Hubert Murray’s Widow, Sour Grapes, and Amazing Grace, all produced by the Abbey Theatre, and more than a dozen other plays for leading Irish Companies.
He has written three novels, Priest, The Trouble with Sarah Gullion, and Bird In The Snow and he makes his awaited return to the Hawk’s Well Theatre Sligo this Friday the 18th of November with his newest book, ‘ Talking to Strangers’.
“The book is about talking to strangers” he explains laughing, “It is the third book in a trilogy of adventures.
“A Chronicle of the ordinary, the things I talk about greatly are a lot of various stories, they are journals of the ordinary.”
Harding is one of Irelands most distinctive writers and this Friday evening the audience can expect Harding in his humorous and sometimes despairing fashion to reflect on his life over the past 18 months, playing the Bull McCabe on stage in Dublin, struggling with self- doubt, faith, and psychotherapy and the chaos of building an extension to his home near Lough Allen.
People can also expect Harding to read passages from his new piece of work along with conversations and wonderful insight into his writing journey.
Asking him wither he prefers writing plays or books he explains that at the end of the day both do the same thing which is tell a story: “I don’t mind either it’s really the same, story- telling is key to my work and now that the books took off, I have had a great time with them.”
His recent memoirs ‘ Staring at
lakes’ and ‘ Hanging with the EleEle phant’ have struck a chord with audiences throughout the country and his latest instalment to the trilogy ‘ Talking to Strangers’ has been well received. It was recently shortlisted amongst six in the Popular Nonfiction Book of the Year category, under the the Bord Gais Energy book of the year awards.
“I’m delighted” he says, “It gives a great notice to the book and that really helps it.”
It has been 18 months since he began writing his new book. Talking me through his writing process Michael explains that he has a habit when it comes to writing, something which helps him at times over come ‘ writers block’: “There’s times when you can’t do it, same as anything. I have a ritual, a special place in an outhouse with a stove in it. I usually go out there and sit still listening to BBC radio 3 or Spotify.”
His preferred choice of songs to listen too is folk music, classical music and in particular ‘ the world’s greatest rock fiddle player’ Steve Wickham.
A columnist with The Irish times, his weekly topics range from anything such as revisiting stories from his childhood, clowns, religion to poetry. “It is going well and it allows me a space once again to communicate stories with people through ordinary stories.”
In 1980, Michael was ordained as a priest and went to work in a parish in Fermanagh; 5 years later he left the priesthood and spent the next seventeen years practising Buddhism.
With no hesitation in his voice Michael remarks that if he wasn’t a writer he could see himself working in a career similar to his past life: “A monk! I would be really interested in doing that. I think I would enjoy that just sitting down and doing nothing” he says laughing.
Looking towards the future, Michael mentions that there might be a new book in the process, but it may or may not be entirely different from the other types of books he’s written.
There are a number of sold out venues around the country at the moment