Story of Brian O'Branahan Shared by Terrence Gargiulo

8/7/2019 Story of Brian O'Branahan Shared by Terrence Gargiulo

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BRIAN O’BRANAHAN “The Man with No Story”

Shared by Terrence Gargiulo, President, MAKINGSTORIES.net

Brian O’Branahan was a basket weaver. He would cut rushes,

make them into baskets, and sell them in the nearby towns. After

some time, there were no rushes left.

He knew of a glen far away where fine rushes were reputed to

grow. But it was a fairy glen and nobody dared go there.

However, Brian O’Branahan's money had run out, and he was

desperate, so he decided to take a risk. With his knife, a rope, and

the lunch his wife packed for him, Brian O’Branahan set out for

the glen.

He had cut two fine bundles and tied them together when a thick

mist began to form around him. Thinking the fog would clear

soon, he decided to sit down and eat his lunch. By the time he

had finished eating, he could not even see his hands.

Brian O’Branahan became disoriented. He stood up and looked to the east and looked to the west. Off in

the distance he saw a light and he thought, "Where there is light there's bound to be people." So he set out

for the light and eventually came upon a farmhouse with the door standing open. Brian O’Branahan

entered and found an old man and woman sitting by a fire. "Come in and get warm," they said. And then

after exchanging some pleasantries, the old man asked him to tell a story.

"I can't," said Brian O’Branahan. "I've never told a story."

The woman turned to him and said, "Then go down to the well and bring us a bucket of water for your

keep."

"I'd be happy to, as long as I don't have to tell a story," replied Brian O’Branahan.

Brian O’Branahan went down to the well and filled the bucket. He set the bucket down for a moment so

that the outside of it could dry before he brought it in. Suddenly, the wind roared and swept him high into

the sky. It blew him to the east, and it blew him to the west. When he fell back to Earth, there was no

bucket, and no well, and no farmhouse. But again, off in the distance, he saw a light and he thought,

"Where there is light there's bound to be people." So he set out for the light, and after some time, he found

that it came from a farmhouse far bigger than the first, with lights shining out of the door.

When he entered, Brian O’Branahan saw that he had come to a wake‐house. There were two rows of men

sitting by the back wall, and a girl with black curly hair sat by the fire. She welcomed Brian O’Branahan and

asked him to sit beside her.

Brian O’Branahan had barely sat down when a big man stood up. "It's not a real wake without a fiddler. I'll

go get one so that we can start dancing."



"Don't go," said the girl with black curly hair. "The best fiddler in Ireland is here." And she looked straight at

Brian O’Branahan.

"Oh, no," said Brian O’Branahan. "I can't play a tune on a fiddle. I've got no music in my head."

"Sure you can," insisted the girl with black curly hair, and she pushed a fiddle and bow into his hand and he

played away. And everyone agreed they had never heard a better fiddler than Brian O’Branahan.

They danced and danced until the big man said that was enough. "We must go get a priest to say Mass. This

corpse must leave before daybreak."

"There's no need," said the girl with black curly hair. "The best priest in Ireland is sitting right here." And

again she looked straight at Brian O’Branahan.

"Oh no," said Brian O’Branahan. "I'm no priest. I know nothing about a priest's work."

"Sure you do," she said. "You will do it just as well as you did the fiddling."

So before Brian O’Branahan knew it, he was standing at the altar saying Mass. And they all said that they'd

never heard any priest say a better Mass than Brian O’Branahan.

Then the corpse was put in the coffin, and four men took it on their shoulders. Three were short and one

was tall, and the coffin wobbled terribly.

"We'll have to go get a doctor to cut a piece off the leg of that big man to make him the same length as the

others," said one of the men.

"Stay here," said the girl with black curly hair. "The best doctor in all of Ireland is here among us." And again

she looked straight at Brian O’Branahan.

"Oh no," said Brian O’Branahan. "I've never done any doctoring. I couldn't possibly do it."

"Sure you can," she said.

And she thrust a scalpel into his hand. Brian O’Branahan cut a piece out of each of the big man's legs, under

his knees, and stuck the legs back on and made him the same height as the other three. Everyone marveled

at Brian O’Branahan's doctoring skills and all agreed they had never seen a better doctor in all of Ireland.

They picked up the coffin and walked carefully to the graveyard. There was a big stone wall around the

graveyard, ten feet high or maybe twelve. They all climbed the wall to the graveyard on the other side. The

last man on top of the wall was Brian O’Branahan.

But a big blast of wind swept him into the sky. It blew him to the east and it blew him to the west. When he

fell back to Earth there was no graveyard, or wall, or coffin, or funeral. He had fallen by the well where he

had gone to fetch some water. The water had not even dried off the bucket.

Brian O’Branahan took the bucket into the house. The old man and woman were there just as he had left

them. He put the bucket down beside them.

"Now, Brian O’Branahan," said the old man, "can you tell us a story?"



"I can," said he. "I am a man with a story to tell." And he told them about everything that had happened to

him.

"Well, Brian O’Branahan," said the old man, "from now on, if anybody asks you to tell a story, tell them that

story; you are a man who has a story to tell."

They gave him a bed, and Brian O’Branahan fell asleep, for he was tired after all he had gone through.

And when he woke in the morning, he was lying in the fairy glen with his head on the two bundles of

rushes. He got up and went home and he never worked another day in his life.

Terrence L. Gargiulo, MMHS is an eight times author, international speaker,

organizational development consultant and group process facilitator specializing in

the use of stories. He holds a Master of Management in Human Services from the

Florence Heller School, at Brandeis University, and is a recipient of Inc. Magazine's

Marketing Master Award, the 2008 HR Leadership Award from the Asia Pacific HRM

Congress, and is a member of Brandeis University’s athletic Hall of Fame. He has

appeared on Fox TV, CN8, and on CNN radio among others.

Highlights of some of his past and present clients include, GM, HP, DTE Energy,

MicroStrategy, Citrix, Fidelity, Federal Reserve Bank, Ceridian, Countrywide Financial,

Washington Mutual, Dreyers Ice Cream, UNUM, US Coast Guard, Boston University,

Raytheon, City of Lowell, Arthur D. Little, KANA Communications, Merck‐Medco,

Coca‐Cola, Harvard Business School, and Cambridge Savings Bank.

Terrence is a frequent speaker at international and national conferences including the

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), International Society for

Performance Improvement (ISPI), Academy of Management, Conference Board,

Linkage Inc, Association of Business Communications, and he is a Field Editor for

ASTD. His articles have appeared in American Executive Magazine, Journal of Quality

and Participation, Communication World, ISPI Journal, and ASTD Links.

Contact Info: [email protected]

(415) 948‐8087

Story of Brian O'Branahan Shared by Terrence Gargiulo

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