We sat riveted, focused only on who was before us in a cozy, historic Dublin pub: storyteller Johnny Daly. With the rising and falling of his voice, at first clear and direct to set the scene, then hushed to a whisper as he leaned in for emphasis, Daly told stories of how 19th-century Irish peasants survived on potatoes and of the men who tried to outwit slippery leprechauns and mischievous fairy pookas, as he proved that the spoken word is more powerful than the written one. He made us gasp, laugh, then simply sit with mouths agape, transfixed by his words. Such is the captivating way of a great storyteller.
11:40 August 17, 2012