The Merfolk and Washing Hair

Publication Instance Details #781

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	Displacement/Forced Migration Gender-based violence
Irish Context	Emigration (from Ireland) Irish Language/Culture Great Famine (Ireland)
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	Na Murúcha ag Ní a gCeann
Original Author	Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill
Genre	Part Of Lyric Sequence
Medium	Print Collection
Notes	This sequence of poems, 'Na Murúcha a Thriomaigh', makes use of the international folk tale of the mermaid to construct an allegorical world in which the merpeople have left the water and now live uneasily among humankind on land. The exact cause of their exodus is not specified, although one poem does reference 'cineghlanadh' (ethnic cleansing). This poem deals with the merpeople's aversion to water. A tale is recounted of the proper 'hair washing' etiquette not being followed, leading to a female mermaid and her daughter being spirited away. The gendered aspect of socially acceptable behaviour is underscored here. The Great Famine and Irish cultural loss are often understood to be implicit in this sequence of poems, although other contexts could also be imagined.