Edmund Lenihan, also known as Eddie Lenihan, is an Irish author, storyteller, lecturer and broadcaster. He is one of the few practising seanchaithe (traditional Irish lore-keepers and tale-spinners) remaining in Ireland. He has been called "one of the greatest of Irish story-tellers" and "a national treasure".
Lenihan is a native of Brosna, County Kerry, Ireland, but currently resides in Crusheen, County Clare. His college education was at Saint Ita's College in Abbeyfeale, County Limerick and University College in Galway.
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.