Raised on Song and Story

One of my favorite Irish ballads, “Dublin in the Rare Auld Times,” begins:

Raised on songs and stories,

Heroes of renown,

The passing tales and glories,

That once was Dublin town.

The hallowed halls and houses,

The haunting children’s rhymes,

That once was part of Dublin

in the rare auld times.

As often as I have heard these lines about Dublin long ago, my mind has lingered on the opening phrase, “raised on songs and stories.” There is something romantic, yet obviously true, about the idea behind it — that children are not only entertained by tales passed from one generation to the next, but nurtured and “raised on” them as well. Family stories in particular become part of who we are, an irreplaceable birthright.

Continued in The Long Island Catholic.

[Thanks so much for taking a moment to follow the link to the LIC!]

Comments

[Clare Marie-Therese Duroc]

Beautiful article! Thank you so much... it brought back so many wonderful memories of being little and listening to the old family stories.

[Barbara]

Wonderful article, Alice. We take for granted all those beautiful stories we received, like gifts, from our parents and grandparents. My husband has always been the storyteller in our family (mostly because I have a rotten memory!) but I think I'll make a bigger effort. Thanks for the kick in the pants! ;-)

[Cheryl M.]

Excellent article, Alice! I grew up with parents and grandparents who were great story tellers. My grandparents traveled and lived in a different state from us each summer and my grandfather would write his stories to us in letters. We couldn't wait to open the mail and listen to my mom read his latest story. :)

[Elizabeth H.]

Lovely article -- and what a precious photo!

[Account Deleted]

That photo is the most precious thing, I absolutely LOVE that dress sweet lady!! So adorable!
Many blessings and thank you for your gift of the written word, it graces so many :))

[Kathy]

What a wondeful article and such a beautiful photo.

[Kristen]

Such a beautiful article, Alice. The way television is abused for children (or perhaps, "children are abused by tv" might be more appropriate) makes me so sad. Family storytelling is magical to young minds!

[sarah]

So beautiful, and so true.

[Diane]

Oh Alice, this is so beautifully thoughtful, a joy to read. Thanks for the reminder once again to offer our children the very best of us.

Love you.

[Laura]

You are a wonderful storyteller, Alice. Not only do you warm the hearts of your readers, you give us wonderful ideas for our own families, our domestic church.

Thank you!

[leona]

Love the article. I also grew up with my Grandmothers stories. Love that picture of you and your Dad.

[Donna Marie]

How did I miss this? Beautiful! I so needed to read this today.
(and I had a dress just like that one...it went great with my red buster brown shoes ;)