Eddie Lenihan, is an Irish author, storyteller, lecturer and broadcaster. He is one of the few Seanchaí remaining in Ireland. He has been called one of the greatest of Irish story-tellers and a national treasure.
He is a collector and preservationist of folk tales, recording stories told by older people as passed to them in oral tradition, and then distributing them to a wider audience via print, audio and filmed recordings.
Lenihan is particularly well known for his tales of Irish folk heroes, fairies, fallen angels, and other supernatural beings as recorded in Irish mythology, folklore and oral history. He has also published poetry, stories about historical and legendary women of Ireland, and railroad history. In his role as a cultural preservationist, he maintains the largest private collection of folklore in Ireland.
His first local reputation developed as an enthusiastic children's storyteller. But as his international storytelling reputation grew, he has appeared in the film, The Fairy Faith in a series of programmes on BBC radio, and at numerous high-profile folk festivals.