A sennachie, was a Scottish-Gaelic or Gaelic storyteller whose role was to remember, retell, and (in modern times) write history and stories regarding families, clans, and legends. This included an extensive knowledge of heraldry as part of the family history. The sennachies were similar to English bards from ancient history, often recording and reciting history of the land, its families, and royalty through poetry and story, rather than through straight facts and recordings.
Historically, sennachies served kings and lords of Ireland and Scotland. After the 1600s, many sennachies became traveling storytellers or members of communities, where they recorded stories about the surrounding communities. Sennachies of this type were well known for their legends, myths, and romance poems.
As technology developed, the need for storytellers to preserve and share national and family history started to dwindle. Today there are far fewer sennachies, who are active within cultural groups and circles and perform at festivals.
SHENACHIE, n. Also sean(n)achie, seanachaidh, sen(n)achi(e), sennachai, -chy; sheanachie, shan(n)achie, -y. Also attrib. Orig. a professional recorder and reciter of family history, genealogy, traditions, etc., attached to the household of a clan chieftain or person of high rank, now a teller of traditional stories from the Celtic heroic legends.
Additional information:
Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) - Dictionars o the Scots Leid
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sennachie (Audio on how to pronounce "Sennachie") "SIN-uh-key"
The story of the Scots storytellers – the Shennachies
What was (or is ) a Scottish Clan Seannachaidh? YouTube runtime 02:57.