Eddie With Mr Cosgrove (98) at 'the lodge', cloghans, co. mayo
It's wonderful to visit a place nowadays where adults are still able to listen to the spoken word for a whole evening in the form of traditional stories rather than through drama or stand-up comedy. My recent session at 'The Lodge' in Cloghans, near Ballina, Co. Mayo was one of those visits. It's easy to recognize them. The listeners themselves soon begin to reminisce about similar stories they once heard from their parents or grandparents.
And that has always been part of my purpose: to remind people of the traditions we're in danger of forgetting ... (as well as providing a good night's entertainment, hopefully!)
Another reason I was delighted to have visited this interesting part of Mayo was because I found out quite a bit about the famous Fr. Foy. The information I discovered will be most useful for my next book, which examines priestly power from the perspective of folklore.