Colin Urwin
~ The Madman's Window ~

Irish songwriter, author and storyteller Colin Urwin www.Orkneyology.com

One of the positive things to come out of lockdown for us was meeting Colin Urwin through wonderful online storytelling sessions hosted by our friend, storyteller Liz Weir from Northern Ireland.

He's quickly became a good friend, and we so enjoyed working with him in bringing out this unusual book of tales.

This page was hard for Colin to write. Like Tom, Colin was brought up believing 'self praise is no recommendation,' but it will be easy to see his talent for yourself when you read The Madman's Window.

'Walk south for about a mile and a half along the coastal path from the village of Glenarm in the Glens of Antrim, and you will come across a beauty spot known as The Madman's Window. It is a natural rock arch which frames a portal that gives out to the North Channel and the Mull of Kintyre beyond. It looks as though great blocks of white limestone must have been neatly carved and set by the hands of a giant a long, long time ago.'

(From The Madman's Window)

The Madman's Window

The actual Madman's Window is a geological anomaly on the northeast coast of Ireland. From it I have borrowed the name for the title story of a book I have been working on throughout lockdown.

I am delighted to announce that it has been accepted for publication by the lovely Rhonda and Tom at Orkneyology Press and is due out in 2024.

(Update: It's out!)

The Madman's Window is a collection of folk tales that I hope will transport the reader to times past when battles, shipwrecks, wolves, ghosts, faeries, shape-shifters and oral storytelling were all part of the everyday lives of native Glens folk.

Colin Urwin's The Madman's Window; illustrations copyright by Katherine Soutar

It's a mixture of self-penned stories based on local legend, folklore and history, and many traditional stories, re-imagined and retold.

I am also very excited that the charming and wonderfully talented Katherine Soutar has agreed to come on board with the project.

I have only had a little taster of the magic and mystery she has in mind and I genuinely cannot wait to see more. Suffice to say the book will be beautifully illustrated throughout!

The Kingdom of Dal Riata

Isolated from the rest of Ireland until the middle of the 19th Century, the coastline between the port town of Larne north to Rathlin Island, with its magical natural landscapes and long maritime heritage, is exceptionally rich in history and mythology.

Known as the Glens of Antrim for generations, 1500 years ago this region was the southern half of the ancient Kingdom of Dal Riata, with the Sea of Moyle linking it to what is now the Inner Hebrides.

For many centuries people have moved back and fore across this narrow stretch of water to trade goods and livestock and find husbands and wives.

Songs and stories made the journey across the sea too and with this in mind, I have expanded the scope of this book to include folk tales from a few Hebridean islands.

The only conditions I have set for stories to be included in The Madman's Window is that they must, to my ear at least, sound as if they have their origins on this side of the Sea of Moyle and, perhaps more importantly, that I like telling them!

A book review of The Madman's Window
by Liz Weir,
respected storyteller and writer
from Northern Ireland

Glenarm-based storyteller Colin Urwin has produced The Madman’s Window, a collection of tales which will greatly enhance the rich mosaic of stories inspired by the landscape of the Glens of Antrim. While the area is already steeped in folklore and legend it is gratifying to think that it can still inspire new narratives.

Colin writes of an area that he loves, and that sense of belonging has helped him craft the thirty-three stories and poems in this latest book. You can hear the voice of the storyteller in these tales set in familiar places, from Rathlin to the Maidens, from Ballygally to Knocklayd. The dialogue within the stories rings true, showing an obvious knowledge of the people as well as the locations. While he previously reimagined a selection of stories collected by Sam Henry in his first collection, “The Iron Hag”, this time as well as putting his own stamp on more familiar yarns, Colin has written original stories and poems which sound and read as if they were traditional tales. This takes real skill.

The themes are familiar to Glens folk: hiring fairs, fishing, turf cutting, shipwrecks, and yet the stories also give a sense of the supernatural, from selkies to strange apparitions. The style is conversational and yet the stories pack a punch, engaging the emotions and creating vivid pictures in the mind’s eye. It is obvious that the author knows every inch of the land and coastline about which he writes, from desolate lighthouses to beautiful waterfalls, from a hidden village to the very rock formation from which the book gets its title. Also obvious is his love of the wildlife that roams or used to roamed the land, seas and sky - we read of wolves, whuttricks, swans, hares, falcons and seals.

The book is published by a new press based in Orkney and it is a handsome volume with a beautiful cover photo of the Mad Man’s Window by Jacky Smyth and sensitive illustrations by artist Katherine Soutar which greatly enhance the stories. An ideal gift for friends and family who love the Antrim coast and yet a book that should rightly have a place in homes here in the Glens.

Liz Weir

Colin Urwin, Irish storyteller and songwriter, holding his young audience spellbound. www.Orkneyology.com

A (modest) bit about Colin Urwin

I am a folk singer, songwriter and storyteller from the north of Ireland. Mainly influenced by Irish and Scottish music, I have been playing and singing folk songs for over four decades. In March of this year I released my first album of original material, 'A Kind of Love Song'.

In recent years I have been working closely with Liz Weir MBE on a variety of exciting live, virtual and recording projects.

I regularly sing and tell at local storytelling venues, schools and community groups and I have performed at the Glens Storytelling Festival. This year I am very excited to be appearing at the Festival at the Edge!

As well as my self-penned stories, I also tell many traditional Irish and Scottish folk tales and perform the odd recitation.

It has been said of me that I am '...keeping alive the tradition of the Seanchaí.' I like that idea.

Colin Urwin, June 2021
www.colinurwin.com