A family of story-tellers

A father-daughter trio from Cornafean will compete in the All-Ireland Fleadh storytelling finals in Wexford this weekend.

Michael McGibney outlined that the storytelling competition is “something that we’ve all been doing over the years and it’s just something that we said would be a nice thing to do together”.

Áine (16) and Doireann (13) along with their parents Michael and Mary were thrilled when the three won the Ulster Championships in Storytelling and progressed to the All-Ireland. Doireann placed first in the 12-15 category and Áine came first in the 15-18, with Michael coming in the same position in the over 18 category. The Ulster storytelling champion said they would be “going through them [stories]” and that “last minute preparations” took place en route to Dromore in Tyrone where the Ulster Fleadh was held, and the same can be expected for Wexford.

With over three hours to travel and competitions taking place on Friday and Sunday, the family will make the journey from Cavan on both days, giving the McGibneys plenty of time to practise.

Michael and Áine will compete on Friday, while Doireann will compete on Sunday. With three All-Ireland worthy storytellers in the family, Michael said that it can be hard to get a word in edgeways at the dinner table.

“They try to avoid me because I usually try and put them through their paces,” he laughed. They will perform their traditional stories ‘The Station Mass’, ‘At The State’s Expense’ and ‘The Wake’ among competitors from all over the world at the finals this weekend. Eldest Áine won the competition last year and is hoping for gold again.

“She’s aiming for another one,” he said. “To us, you’re representing your area and you’re doing something together and that’s the way I look at it.”