sennachie

American  

[sen-uh-kee] / ˈsɛn ə ki /

Also shanachie

noun

Chiefly Scot., Irish.

1. a professional storyteller of family genealogy, history, and legend.

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Usage

What is a sennachie? A sennachie is a storyteller of family histories and genealogy. A sennachie, also spelled shanachie, was a Gaelic or Scottish-Gaelic storyteller whose role was to remember, retell, and (in modern times) write history and stories regarding families, clans, and legends. The sennachies were similar to English bards from ancient history, often recording and reciting history of the land, its families, and royalty through poetry and story, rather than through straight facts and recordings. Historically, sennachies served kings and lords of Ireland and Scotland. After the 1600s, many sennachies became traveling storytellers or members of communities, where they recorded stories about the surrounding communities. Sennachies of this type were well known for their legends, myths, and romance poems. As technology developed, the need for storytellers to preserve and share national and family history started to dwindle. Today there are far fewer sennachies, who are active within cultural groups and circles and perform at festivals. Example: One of my Irish ancestors was a sennachie who recorded history and stories of one of the great kings of Ireland.

Etymology

Origin of sennachie

First recorded in 1530–40; from Scots Gaelic seanachaidh, from Irish Gaelic seanachaidhe, from Old Irish senchaid, variant of senchae “historian,” equivalent to sen “old, ancient” + cūis “matter, affair”; senior ( def. )

Example Sentences

I was the Sennachie, he said; and as the Sennachie I might have been known so long as I remained under his charge, had it not been that, priding himself upon his Gaelic, he used to bestow upon the word the full Celtic pronunciation, which, agreeing but ill with the Teutonic mouths of my school-fellows, militated against its use; and so the name failed to take.

From Project Gutenberg

My schoolfellows liked my stories well enough—better at least, on most occasions, than they did the lessons of the master; but, beyond the common ground of enjoyment which these extempore compositions furnished to both the "sennachie" and his auditors, our tracts of amusement lay widely apart.

From Project Gutenberg

Welsh precisians, we perceive, call it Rhaglan—and probably attach a nobler meaning to the name than can be forced out of the Saxon Rag and Land; but as novelists and historians have agreed in calling it Ragland, we shall keep to the old spelling in spite of sennachie and bard.

From Project Gutenberg

‘Have you the works of the ancient Sennachie, Macfootle?’ asked Merton. 

From Project Gutenberg

Neither bard nor sennachie, I assure you, nor monk nor hermit, the approved authorities for old traditions.

From Project Gutenberg