'I hope I have created a publication that will inspire and entertain others...' Folklorist Michael Fortune introduces his new book, a self-published ode to his native Wexford about to enter its third printing.
Like every county, Wexford has its plentiful share of folklore, customs and traditions, some of which are shared with the rest of the country while more are unique and have developed locally over the centuries in this corner of Ireland.
I was born and reared on the coast of Wexford and like many Irish people, my ancestors have been living in the same rural area, give or take, for the past millennia or so. Now that doesn't make me any more Irish than anybody else, but there is something very strong and deep about that fact, and that is hard to shake off.
More immediately though, I grew up in a farm-labouring background immersed in stories, customs and experiences which naturally informed and influenced my life and my practice. While in art college in the 1990s I picked up a digital video camera and began collecting other people’s stories and accounts in day-care centres, halls, schools, yards and homes around the country, sharing them back to the communities from which they came. This was done in an attempt to place value on these voices and practices, a decade before YouTube and Social Media and the 'share’ button concept ever came into existence.
Listen: The County Wexford Traditional Singers Archive, via Michael Fortune
As a result, some people know my work as an artist and filmmaker, more as an educator, more again as a collector of folklore and in the past decade a figure on Social Media due to my work with a page called folklore.ie. However, as I’m growing older I began to fear the delicacy of the digital content I’ve amassed, and in 2023 I teamed up with the North Wexford Historical Society and with the support of the Arts Office of Wexford County Council produced a 130 page book entitled The Folklore of Wexford.
Watch: Michael Fortune takes a walk through The Folklore of Wexford
This publication offered me a chance to make these stories physical, as otherwise they only existed on hard drives or just as stories and memories in my head. Often when we think of folklore, we think of vintage black and white folksy-styled imagery and quotes from the past. The Folklore of Wexford is different. The publication is in full colour and features over one hundred contemporary photographs plus sixty QR Codes leading to interviews and tutorials recorded with people over the past two decades. These QR codes give an extra layer of information to anyone who wants to hear more, and in particular experience the teller's accent and their mannerisms.
The book takes a personal and contemporary look at the practices, customs and beliefs from every corner of Wexford, highlighting commonalities and differences with other counties while also exploring the links with wider European practices and across the Atlantic, in particular with Newfoundland, Canada. I have been visiting Newfoundland since 2005, and as it was populated by people from the south-east of Ireland, much of the Irish folklore from there has survived. The book is deliberately varied; subjects range from New Year’s Folklore and Handsel Monday traditions to learning more about St. Patrick and the Wexford Connection or about the 7th century figure, St. Colman and his ducks.
The content is truthful and honest and based on observations and research. It is from the ground up in most cases, and features the voices, stories and practices of my neighbours, family and friends and people I have encountered over the decades. It features new voices and old voices, and makes reference to the complete community of the county, featuring our Travelling community and the voices and practices of new communities living in the county. I have a deep connection to the stories and the people, and as a result an obligation to represent their voices in the truest way possible.
I also intended for this publication to offer a beacon to other self-publishers, as I designed it myself using the online design programme Canva. For me, there is no divide between author and publisher, and I enjoy working within these design templates as I find they often are creative and spontaneous places. The book itself was also printed in Ireland, which is extremely important to me. This independent mindset has been a strong part of my practice from day one and if I hadn't been so independent, most of the work would have never been recorded.
So, at the end of November 2023, 1,000 copies arrived from my printers in Kerry and within a few days, all 1,000 had sold out. Astonished at such a response without a publisher on board, a reprint of 1,500 more books arrived a few days later. Within 10 days later, these too had sold out. I was never planning on re-printing, but every week I get emails and calls and in early March I ordered another batch from my printers in Kerry.
I hope I have created a publication that will inspire and entertain others, while also being a true and reflective source of the folklore of my native Wexford for many years to come.
The Folklore Of Wexford is available via www.folklore.ie - you can also find local stockists on the website.
