St Fridolin - an Irishman with power and influence in Europe in the Middle Ages

Saint Fridolin was an Irish-born saint who became well-known and influential through his travels and evangelising around Europe in the 6th century. I have just written an Irishman's Diary about Fridolin in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.

Fridolin of Säckingen. Image source.

He spent a long period of time in Germany and Switzerland, so much so in fact, that he became known as 'Fridolin of Säckingen' and the 'Enlightener of the Upper Rhine'.

Throughout Europe today, you can still find references to Fridolin, whether it is in churches, monasteries or in cultural traditions, such as the bonfires that are lit in the Swiss canton of Glarus on 6 March each year. Fridolin is the patron saint of the canton and the day marks his feast day. The fires are known as 'Fridolin's fire'.

St. Fridolin by Albrecht Dürer. Image source.

Book review - Packy Jim: Folklore and Worldview on the Irish Border

I have written a book review of Packy Jim: Folklore and Worldview on the Irish Border by Ray Cashman, for the peer-reviewed academic journal, Irish Studies Review. It has just been published online. Read it here.

Front cover of the book.

Ray Cashman is a professor of folklore at Indiana University. He first visited County Tyrone in August 1998. He initially stayed there for one year, conducting ethnographic fieldwork. In subsequent years, he made return trips to the area, usually for one or two week periods. Over the years, he made 65 hours of audio recordings of local man, Patrick James (Packy Jim) McGrath. He also took 5 hours of video recording. 

The book recounts Cashman's encounters with Packy Jim and his tales of local legends and family history. He also recites poems and sings ballads relating to the area. Cashman is full of praise for his interviewee, hailing him as "a master of tradition" (p. 5) and "one of the best storytellers I am ever likely to meet" (p. 24). The book was first published by University of Wisconsin Press in 2017. See here for more information on the book. 

This 3.5 minute clip of Packy Jim gives us a flavour of his storytelling abilities.

This is not the first time that folklore has been gathered in this part of rural Ireland. In the 1930s, the Irish Folklore Commission collected folklore (oral history, sayings, folktales, legends, riddles, proverbs, games, etc.) from school children in Lettercran, County Donegal. They were encouraged to collect folklore from their parents / relatives and neighbours in the area. This now forms part of The Schools' Collection.  

One of the copybooks from Lettercran. Source.