New book launched on Mayo-born revolutionary leader at words festival

It was fitting that the new book, 'The Enchanted Bay, Tales and Legends from Ernie O’Malley’s Irish Folklore Collection', was launched in the home town of its subject during the Wild Atlantic Words Festival last night.

The publication, compiled by Cormac K.H. O'Malley and Patrick J. O'Mahoney, is a fascinating anthology of Irish folklore tales collected by the revolutionary leader, who was born in Ellison Street in Castlebar.

It focuses on Clew Bay as well as other parts of Ireland he travelled to while working as an IRA organiser.

Transcribed by his son Cormac and featuring photographs by his wife, American artist Helen Hooker O’Malley, this book captures a bygone era and showcases the enduring power of the oral tradition in Ireland.

It is a little-known fact that Ernie O’Malley, renowned for his role in Ireland’s revolutionary struggle, was also a passionate collector of Irish folklore.

Transcribed by his son Cormac, The Enchanted Bay is a rich tapestry of tales that showcases the enduring power of the oral tradition in Ireland.

From the entertaining exploits of the Gobán Saor, mythical master builder, to the Clare Island man who married a selkie, this collection offers a glimpse into the heart of Irish storytelling.

A testament to O’Malley’s multifaceted legacy, several of the stories in this compilation were gathered while he travelled Ireland as an IRA organiser.

The insights he gained through folklore collecting would later inform his ambitious project of recording testimonies from former comrades, solidifying his place as a pivotal figure in the preservation of Irish history and culture.

The tales in the pages maintain the unique voices of local communities, conjuring an arcane, fascinating world that is slipping further from memory.

Cormac K.H. O’Malley was born in Ireland, moved to the USA in 1957, studied history at Harvard and law at Columbia, and enjoyed a successful thirty-year international legal career.

In retirement, he has pursued research on modern Irish history and the legacy of his parents, Ernie O’Malley, and artist Helen Hooker O’Malley.

Patrick J. Mahoney, or Pádraig Fhia Ó Mathúna, is an awardwinning historian and writer. He is currently a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Galway. Between 2021 and 2023, he was a researcher on the Harvard-based Fionn Folklore Database.

Published by Merrion Press, it is on sale at all good book shops.