When Ireland Speaks in a Woman's Voice: From Ériu to Elmes
Ireland was named after a woman.
Most of us know that Ireland is called Éire in Irish, but far fewer know about Ériu, the mythological figure whose name survives in the very name of the country itself.
In this episode of Undercover Irish, we follow the women hidden in Ireland's landscape. From Ériu, Banba and Fódla, to Boann and Sinann, from the holy wells of Brigid and Gobnait to the modern commemorations of Mary Elmes and the women of Cumann na mBan, we explore how women have been remembered on Ireland's map for centuries.
Along the way we delve into the Dindshenchas, Ireland's medieval "Lore of Places", uncover the stories behind some of our most famous rivers and placenames, and ask an important question:
If women are everywhere in Ireland's oldest landscape, why do they seem so much less visible in the streets and public spaces of modern Ireland?
This is a story about memory, mythology, language, landscape and the changing ways Ireland remembers its past.
In this episode:
- Ériu, Banba and Fódla
- The Dindshenchas – Ireland's Lore of Places
- Boann and the River Boyne
- Sinann and the River Shannon
- Macha, Tailtiu and Carman
- Brigid and the female sacred landscape
- Holy wells
- Victorian commemorative culture
- The Ladies' Land League
- Cumann na mBan
- Mary Elmes, Rosie Hackett and modern public commemoration
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This week's Patreon-exclusive episode:
Why Some Irish People Don't Say "The Famine"
A look at the language of memory, An Gorta Mór, and what the words we choose reveal about Irish history.
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Go raibh míle maith agaibh as éisteacht.
Ní saoirse go saoirse na mban.
