Manchán Magan to deliver Island Voices 2022 lecture next week

Mr. Magan is in the midst of a nationwide book tour promoting his latest non-fiction work ‘Listen to the Land Speak – A journey into the wisdom of what lies beneath us’.

According to the book’s blurb Mr. Magan ‘sets out on a journey, through bogs, across rivers and over mountains, to trace these ancestor’s footsteps’ and ‘uncovers the ancient myths that have shaped our national identity and are embedded in the strata of land that have endured through millennia – from ice ages through to famines and floods’.

The premise of the book is that ‘our ancestors developed a uniquely nature-focused society, centred on esteemed poets, seers, monks, healers and wise women who were deeply connected to the land’.

This dovetails neatly with the Derry lecture series.

Introducing the lecture, the DC&SDC programme states: “The richness of a language closely tied to the natural landscape offered our ancestors a more magical way of seeing the world.

“Before we cast old words aside, let us consider the sublime beauty and profound oddness of the ancient tongue that has been spoken on this island for over 2,500 years.

“Manchán Magan, author of ‘Thirty-Two Words for Field’ and ‘Tree Dogs, Banshee Fingers and Other Irish Words for Nature’ explores the hidden insights that the Irish language offers us into the landscape, heritage and psyche of Ireland, as well as what we can learn about our relationship to the Otherworld.”

Mr. Magan is known for travelogues about his time in African, India and South America. He presents ‘The Almanac of Ireland’ podcast for RTÉ Radio 1.

His book ‘Thirty-Two Words for Field’ explores the insights the Irish language offers in to the landscape, psyche and heritage of Ireland.

By his own account he is fascinated by words, with all their complex meanings and association and their connection to the natural world.

‘Listen to the Land Speak’ is available in book shops and MayoBooks.ie

The lecture will take place in the Guildhall at 1pm on Wednesday, October 26.

Book your place by contacting the Tower Museum (028) 7137 2411 or [email protected]