Peig Sayers

19 Mar 1873: Peig Sayers, was born in Vicarstown, Dunquin, County Kerry. In her younger days, Peig had hoped to emigrate to America. But the course of her life changed when her fare failed to materialise. Peig arrived on Great Blasket Island, 3 miles off the tip of the Dingle peninsula, after wedding Pádraig Ó Guithín, a local fisherman. They would share eleven children on Great Blasket, with only six surviving to adulthood. While the census may have listed Peig's occupation as housewife or homemaker, her true calling was that of seanchaí, linking present day Ireland with the lore, traditions and history of previous generations - at a time when the Blaskets and the Gaeltacht in general were under increasing pressure from the outside world. Peig's life story would be recorded in her autobiography titled "Peig" and she would personally dictate more than 5,000 pages to the Irish Folklore Commission before their precious contents were lost to history. As we round out Women's History Month, it is only fitting that we honour the contributions of Peig Sayers, widely regarded as Ireland's greatest storyteller.

 

#celticthistorian #gaeltacht #greatblasket #blasketislands #countykerry #womenshistorymonth #irelandvacations