Thank you to all who told me stories as I hitched around County Clare many years ago; to the kind gentlemen of the Local Studies Centre in Ennis; to the children and teachers of the 1930s who collected stories for the Schools Folklore Scheme (1937-38); to Criostoir Mac Carthaigh, archivist, Irish Folklore Commission, UCD.
Thank you to Iain Symes-Marshall, Carolanne Lamont and Susie Minto for long conversations of encouragement and support. I couldn’t have done it without you.