Together, they moved back to the island, and celebrated their wedding (though the festivities were dampened by the joint wake of her beautiful niece). This turned out to be one of the wisest decisions she had made, for she fell madly in love with her husband, Peats Guinean, at first sight. She trusted her brother whole-heartedly, and when he advised her to marry this man from the Great Blasket Island, she put her apprehensions and fears of isolated and dangerous island life aside and accepted the proposal without even seeing her future husband ( Peig, pg. Once this obligation had been completed, Peig received news from her beloved brother that a match was to be made. Being the strong woman that Peig was, she accepted this fate, and worked hard to fulfill her one-year contract with this family.

127-130) This time, however, she wasn’t as fortunate, for her new employers were not as generous and kind to her as her previous family. Again, Peig was not thrilled with the idea of going back, “into slavery,” but followed her good friend’s advice. Cáit-Jim had promised to send her passage fare so that Peig would be able to join her, but advised Peig to go back into service to earn some of the fare herself. It was at this time that she learned her closest childhood friend, Cáit-Jim, would be moving to America. Peig stayed with Séamas and Nell for several years, until she fell ill and went back to live with her family. As much spite as she may have felt towards her situation, she was always grateful to her new “family” as they treated her very well, and took on the responsibilities assigned to her dutifully. Peig was not thrilled with the work, often referred to her time in service as being in slavery, and dreamed of owning her own home and making her own way through life. In order to maintain peace and manageability within the household, Peig’s father decided to send her into the service of a family he knew in Dingle: Séamas and Nell Curran and their two sons. At the age of 14, her family met with difficulties, both financially and with the new daughter-in-law. Peig’s educational bliss did not last long. Books, and thus words, became her greatest treasure. This was her doorway to learning reading and writing, both in English and in Irish ( Peig, pg 35). That very same day, she insisted that her parents allow her to start school that week, and reluctantly they obliged ( Peig, pg 15).

At the age of four, Peig discovered the world of literature after visiting her friend, Cáit -Jim, who was already enrolled in school. Her love of language did not stop with the oral traditions however. Throughout her childhood, she would leap at any opportunity to listen to the stories of the old people in her nearby villages and towns ( Peig, pg 19, 33).

Her father had a flare for storytelling and poetry, as did her mother, and she relished every moment she could of these tales and lyrics that her elders spun. Peig Sayers was born in 1873 to Tomás Sayers and Peig Brosnan in the parish of Dunquin on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. A natural performer, “Salt of the Earth” woman, and an oral enchantress, she quickly became dearly loved by her neighbors, countrymen, and folklorists around the world.

She was often visited by students of universities and scholars wishing to record a portion of her vast collection of folklore knowledge. Peig Sayers was a legend in her own time. Peig Mhór, Saol Mhór: Biography of Peig Sayers The Referendum on the regulation of termination of pregnancy will take place on 25 May. Had I known even one third or one quarter of the bullshit I would have to put up with, my mind and heart wouldn’t have been as gay or as courageous as they were at the beginning of my days… Had I known in my childhood half of what the future had in store for me. Based on the opening lines of the autobiography of Peig Sayers – ‘I am an old woman now, with one foot in the grave and the other on its edge’ – the piece then presents the reflections of a fictional Peg on attitudes towards women, sex and pregnancy in Ireland. Peg 2018 is a piece of spoken word against an electronic backdrop of whistling explosions and a threatening burbling drone. The piece was originally created for the Room for Rebellion collective and C.A.N.V.A.S for a compilation release in aid of pro-choice charities, but as this will not be released until later this year Walshe released the track on 18 May, a week before the referendum. Composer Jennifer Walshe has released a short pro-choice work, titled Peg 2018, ahead of the upcoming Irish referendum on the regulation of termination of pregnancy.

Peig sayers grave