Conversations with Richard Fidler

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Richard Fidler on ABC Radio's Conversations program about The Good People and the fairy lore of Ireland. 

Our chat is now up online at ABC Radio, and can also be downloaded here, or as a podcast here. Alternatively, you can listen to it here!

About this Episode:

In pre-famine, rural Ireland, people dwelled within layers of folk and fairy lore connected to every aspect of their lives.

At the milking of cows, in the nurturing of expectant mothers, and in the old women paid to 'keen' after a death, ritual and superstition were ever-present.

Rural Irish folk used the term 'good people', to refer to their fairies, who were nothing like modern iterations.

These fairies could bestow favour or grave misfortune; including abducting people, and transforming them to changelings.

Australian novelist Hannah Kent discovered an account of a crime committed in pre-famine County Kerry which she couldn't forget.

The crime and the accused were steeped in 19th Century folk culture, and the details were shocking.

To imagine how the events unfolded, Hannah immersed herself in the lore and landscape of rural Ireland, and the lives of three women. 

Further information:

The Good People is published by Picador.

Listen to Hannah's 2013 conversation with Richard, about her life and the story behind Burial Rites.

Duration: 52min 15sec
Broadcast: Tue 27 Sep 2016, 11:00am
Published: Wed 21 Sep 2016, 1:51am