Sir, – The death of Manchán Magan has left a gaping hole in so many areas of Irish life. His restless curiosity, lyrical voice and boundless enthusiasm embodied a rare gift: the ability to make our heritage, language, landscape, and folklore feel not only relevant but essential. He had that rare alchemy of turning scholarship into enchantment – reminding us that the past is not a relic but a living, breathing inheritance.
Through his words and work, he coaxed even the most unwilling into an interest in realms they might otherwise have ignored: the cadences of Irish, the mystery of ogham, the healing power of wild herbs, the dignity of rural traditions.
He was at once a teacher, a guide, and a fellow pilgrim, always seeking, always sharing, always with a glint of mischief and joy.
It is often said that when someone dies a library burns. But in Manchán’s case, he leaves behind not ashes but a treasury – his books, his films, his broadcasts, his public talks – all of which continue to inspire and to awaken. While he has left us, he has not gone; his voice still lingers in the hedgerows, in the myths, in the rivers, in the words of our native tongue, reminding us of who we are and what we might yet be if we care to listen.
RM Block
The best way we can honour him is not with silence but with curiosity: by learning, by preserving, and by daring to love our culture with the same fierce generosity that he did.
Ireland is poorer for his passing, but immeasurably richer for the gifts he has left us. –Yours, etc,
GEOFF SCARGILL,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
