Heart and Soul of Ireland --- The Stories They Weave.

What is so wonderful about the Irish folks is their love for a good story.  The type of stories that take  a person to another place, another time and it's totally magical.   Frank Delaney penned the tome Ireland which features a storyteller who tells three tales and is soon  banished because the audience is not enthralled and amused with his tales.  However, young lad Ronan is not only enthralled and amused, he finds that this is his calling. Ronan follows in the footsteps of the storyteller and carries on the time honored Irish tradition of spinning a good yarn.  It is without a doubt that Irish authors have honed their skills through the very tradition that Delaney writes about.  Which brings about the observation that the folklore of  Ireland gives a glimpse into the heart and soul of the country and its people.


For starters,  the tales always take place a time long ago, in some faraway countryside where it's always greener than green and breathtakingly beautiful.  Who are these storytellers kidding?   It may have been long ago but the countryside they speak of has to be Ireland.  Where else could it be?  To be fair, there could be one small corner of Ireland that has not yet been explored and deep down in the lush green grass there may live tiny creatures that are magical and marvelous.  But the keen reader knows this magical placed could be nowhere else in the world but Ireland. 


It seems that every Irish Folklore has wonderful yet pesky little creatures called Leprechauns.  Every St. Patrick's day, these characters re-emerge with sneaky grins, green hats and black shoes. Always bright red hair is seen peeking out of the hats .   Legend has it is very lucky to run into these Leprechauns but they also warn that they can be quite deceiving as well.  Why shouldn't they be?  After all, every time  a mere mortal finds them they must turn over their pot of gold.  To be honest, that's not a fair deal for the leprechaun, is it?  


An Irish folktale is hardly ever  complete without a hero or heroine who is down on their luck,  poor as poor can be and more often than not, laziest person in the village.  They may even be the outcast of the village.  This is not to say they are bad folks.  They just don't have food on the table or a fiddle to play for the King.  In other words, they may be outcasts because they can't get their act together.   Regardless of their state in life, the reader can not help but root for the beloved impoverished hero/heroine and   hopes that things turn out for the best.  Of course, they always do and there is a happily ever after for all involved.


Three is the magic number.  In all folktales,  not just in Irish tales,  turn of events evolve around three attempts to complete a task or test.   If these hero or heroine's are going to change their luck it's going to take them a little sweat equity to earn their pot of gold.  Once the tasks has been completed the tale comes to it's ultimate completion.  Lessons have been learned.  Rewards have been earned.  Everyone, mortals and magical creatures alike, are very happy.  


This leads us back to what the folktales tell us about the people of Ireland.  They are proud, and rightly so, of their beautiful lush green land which has earned them  the moniker, The Emerald Isle.   Their tales are always  filled with warmth, humor and a poke at human nature. Yet, when all is said and done it is understood that one might be poor, lazy or unlucky,  one still has to do something to earn their keep.   The storytelling spirit is alive and well in Ireland today and may it remain to be that way for a thousand more years.   On St. Patty Day. always remember this :  Be they Kings, or poets or farmers,  They're people of great worth, they keep company with the angels and bring a bit of heaven here to earth."  Ah yes, the Irish good folks with their lively tales can usher in a bit of heaven for those who dream of  a paradise where there is no end in stories or books.    Happy St. Patty's Day to one and all.

The Public Relations Magic in March: : St. Patty's Day, March Madness, Women's History and Reading

March is a wonderful time of year. Everyone is waiting anxiously for spring to arrive. The first signs of "green" come on St. Patty's day, everyone either wears green, drinks and eats green things and look for little leprechauns. On the other hand, there are die hard sports fans who track college basketball for March Madness. Don't forget Women's history month to add to the Spring festivities. In the midst of all this celebrating, libraries have tons of programs which celebrate reading. This may make one librarian wondering what could possibly come in April to top all these reasons to celebrate. Oh, Yeah National Library Week. (Ideas on that will be shared at another time.) Suffice it to say, as scattered as all these topics seem to be, they do have something in common. Besides the fact that they are all in March, these celebrations are the perfect time for libraries to promote themselves to local officials and state legislators. Curious on how to get a jump start on advocating for libraries before April? Read on.

All politicians claim to be "Irish" on St. Patrick's Day. Even President O'bama claimed Irish decent when traveling through Ireland. Why not? It's a wonderful heritage, there is good food, good dancing and lots of fun wearing the green. Plus, they are always talking about the Luck of the Irish. Ah, libraries could use a wee bit luck. To tap into our own little bit of luck, librarians could distribute postcards to their patrons, that are ready to be mailed to the local officials, asking the patrons to support the library by simply signing the postcard which will be sent to the Representatives. The cards could say, "The library is our city's LUCKY charm. Please support our library" It's a great little reminder that the library adds value to every community.

March Madness provides a wonderful opportunity to bring sports into the library. Most sports fans figure libraries don't have anything for a sports fans. Not true. Books about team history, statistics and biographies about famous players are just a few items up for grab. Years ago, an energetic school librarian set out to prove that bringing in basketball fun into the school library would not only benefit the students but also the library as well. On the library doors, a sign was posted "March Madness in Progress. Enter if you DARE" Once the students took the "dare" they were directed to the reference desk where the librarian had a huge basketball bracket on display for all to see her picks. If the students, school board member or faculty cared to fill out a bracket, they had to first write on the bracket sheet why they were "mad" about the library. Then they could post their brackets. The amount of traffic through the library was amazing due to the number of students who wanted to see whose brackets came closest to being spot on. As for the librarian, well the "mad about the Library" comments helped demonstrate the important functions that the school library performed for the students. Plus, her bracket picks were pretty off the mark which made for interesting remarks from students. One student offered to help the librarian to find out more about statistics so next year she could make better choices in her picks.

Women's history month proves to be a great way to remind female legislators and officials about the impact that women have had on history. In their own way, these leaders have made an impact on their own community. For libraries who are facing budget cuts and concerns, there is a way to invite these leaders into the library to "celebrate" Women's history month. One inventive (and could be profitable also) way is to have a women Tea party. Inviting key women leaders to come to the Tea to support the library is great PR for the officials as well as the library.

Of course promoting reading is always a good thing for libraries. After all, when thinking about libraries the first thing to come to most minds are books. t is the trademark of libraries. However, it doesn't hurt to do something different to add spice to PR and advocacy. Library events like those mentioned above will lend itself to patrons coming in to check out books to read throughout the month of March. More importantly, it will get elected officials to open their eyes and minds aobut what libraries do and what they offer the community.