Seanchas

Abstract: Seanchas is an Irish term for vernacular knowledge of history, memory, and tradition. It was recited in medieval aristocratic society by professionally trained seanchaithe . Despite aggressive colonial Anglicization, the Gaelic bardic culture that sustained seanchas persisted into the seventeenth century. From the early modern period seanchas evolved into more demotic articulations of history-telling. Its demise was repeatedly proclaimed in the face of modernization. Yet seanchas traditions have been documented over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by antiquarians and folklore collectors, and continue to appear in contemporary popular culture, showing resilience and adaptability.