The Spanking Goddess and Other Discarded Tales – less orthodox Celtic tales from master storyteller Clare Murphy (touring Ireland during September)

Irish myths and legends are part of the landscape on this island. Even my protestant-leaning primary school couldn’t avoid teaching a good dose of Finn McCool. But these stories are almost told with the sound of harps gently playing in the background. They’re sanitised, with the rough edges removed by countless retellings.

Clare Murphy’s one woman show – The Spanking Goddess and Other Discarded Tales – takes a less fluffy approach to explore the wild women who get left out of the best Celtic tales, “women who never made the cut”. Over an hour, she takes us on a raucous romp to hear how she travelled around the island, sourcing less orthodox versions of those recognisable tales. The versions where characters get down and dirty. The versions less suitable for a primary school audience … but you’ll wish you’d heard when you were younger! (Age advisory: 16+)

Why did no one mention Delgnat – wife of one of the first kings of Ireland, Partholón, – who was left alone with a fine-looking servant Topa? Just one of the badass figures who are brought to life.

There’s no set. No props. Murphy’s captivating style of storytelling is sufficient to sustain her performance, with the audience quickly charmed with her brand of humour and won over by her mythology with a twist. The script weaves around the audience reaction: there’s a clear trajectory but probably no fixed road to follow to reach the final conclusion.

Expect slurps, whispers, some gentle audience participation, otters and vaginas. And anticipate leaving the venue with a new appreciation for some familiar characters, and some less familiar figures.

The Spanking Goddess is out on tour, visiting The Duncairn in north Belfast earlier in the month. This weekend it’s in Cork, then passing through Castlebar, Sligo, spending a night in Derry The Playhouse on Saturday 27 September and finishing in Dundalk on Sunday 28 before returning to Bristol in October.

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