I wrote the article, An Unexpected Journey – There and Back Again, all of eighteen months ago, back in May, 2020. This, as everyone other than my friends and family in Queensland will remember, was during the first round of Covid lockdowns. In this article I compared the feeling of being flung into an unpredictable…
Category: Stories by Chris Thompson
Chris Thompson’s retellings of the old stories. All work copyright Chris Thompson.
The Story of Sinann
In the days of dreaming when the when the ever-living ones still walked freely among the misty mountains and green valleys of Ireland, when the soft light of enchantment still shone from every hill of the sidhe, there was a well. It was a deep hidden pool, fringed and caressed by nine strong hazel trees….
An Unexpected Journey
On the second morning of May, 2020 I awoke before dawn. It was four forty a.m. A glorious cacophony of birds was already celebrating a luminous sky-glow, heralding a clear morning. Suddenly, I was no longer sleepy. I grabbed my dressing gown, put my phone into my pocket, and stepped outside. Standing in the orchard,…
Stories and Activities 5: Irish story picture gallery
What might King Fergus have worn? What was an Iron-age roundhouse like? What was a hero’s chariot made of? What about that ‘Cave of the Cats? What does it look like now? I thought I might put up a page of images to help answer these questions and lots more. I hope these pictures help…
Stories and Activities with Children 3: Stories about Finn and his friends.
There are many stories about Finn Mac Cumhaill. (usually Fionn in modern Irish) The original texts are complex and difficult to say the least! This is largely because the Fionn (earlier Finn) stories remained in the oral tradition and were written down quite late. This means that there are many interwoven versions and duplications. I…
Stories and Activities with Children 4: The Two Poet Pig-keepers
This audio story is one of the many stories that circle around the great Táin Bó Cúailnge , The cattle raid of Cooley. It is not a well known story but it is important as it is really the ‘origin’ story for the whole cycle. It is also a great tale and explains a lot!…
Stories and Activities with Children 6: Become a hero poet
Try your hand at a Rosc poem Rosc is very old. The very first stories were told through this type of poetry. The form was used to describe both the setting of a story and the action. It was a good way of describing a battle. It can be hard for us to understand today…
Stories and Activities 2: Fergus Fergus Mac Léite and Aithirne The Unsociable.
I have included an introduction to the Irish Stories on this page. It is part of my -on-line ‘Stories in the Landscape schools’ programme. Contact me if you would like to find out more about this lively, cross-curricular schools” programme and how to book it for your class.. Choose from two of my favourite stories….
Stories and Activities for Children 1: Bricriu’s Feast
Bricriu’s Feast his story has everything It has a king who gets someone else to solve his own problems. It has warriors who are determined to have adventures and show off to the MAX, It has giants, water monsters, fearsome cats from an Otherworld cave and more. There is also a VERY BIG AXE! The…
The Otherworld and How to Get There!
So many of the old Irish stories tell of an Otherworld that lies so close to our own. If you want to discover what the stories have to say about getting there, what you might find when you arrive, and when, or if, you might return, then join Chris in this audio-article exploration. Apologies for…