A New Celtic Dawn

Avid readers and admirers of ancient Irish folklore and legend may be familiar with the prodigious and prolific output of New Zealand publishing house and cultural consultancy Irish Imbas (Imbas is a very old Celtic word meaning ‘knowledge’). Established in 2014 in Wellington by Corkman Brían Ó’Súileabháin (Brian O’Sullivan) with his partner ‘K’, the creative couple have written and produced three fictional series of books – Beara Trilogy/Fionn macCumhaill and Irish Woman Warrior Series – and also run an annual Celtic Mythology Short Story Competition. Their latest offering however is a little different in that it is an experimental online literary game. ‘An Caomhaoir Fuilsmeartha/ Dark Dawn’, a story that can be experienced through Irish or English that carries a ‘16+’ rating, as recommended by the author because of the violence contained in the narrative. “Essentially, it’s the story of a sick warrior who’s convinced – against his better judgement – to try and save a tiny settlement,” said Brian. “During the game, that warrior must make decisions – influenced by events in his own life – that can change the outcome. It’s a very simple story. A very human story. There’s still something of a mindset back home that anything to do with ancient Irish narratives should be restricted to children or those going down the ‘spiritual’ marketing route. That ignores the reality that the people who first told these stories were intelligent, rational adults. They fought, they drank, they cursed and had sex. Ignoring that reality or misrepresenting that reality, belittles those who went before us.” As well as wanting to give readers an authentic cultural experience and incorporate elements of the Irish language, Brian said he also wants his book to be accessible and fun. “Producing An Caomhaoir Fuilsmeartha/ Dark Dawn in Irish as well as in English was certainly harder, but the story’s an Irish one, set in Ireland and based on Irish cultural history,” he added. “If it’s handled well, you can certainly carry some of that cultural integrity across in English but, given that there’s no such thing as an exact translation, the Irish version is critical if you want a more genuinely immersive experience. By designing it so you can use either language, or both, at any stage, you can knock down the barriers and allow some self-instruction at the same time. An Caomhaoir Fuilsmeartha / Dark Dawn will be available to access free from the Irish Imbas website (irishimbasbooks.com/) from 11 May 2021.

Left: Instead of a ‘plastic’ St. Patrick’s Day experience Irish Imbla recommended readers to check out the 2020 commission Gilgamesh by Galway based theatre group Macnas. “As mythological epics go, this one is an interesting narrative and Macnas do their usual magic on visuals and mood.”