Cavan joins the growing circles of storytellers nationwide
Cavan boasts the newest storytellers group in Ireland after Breifne Yarnspinners’ held their inaugural gathering in Cavan Town last week.
Six storytellers assembleed at Bridge Street Centre on Thursday, April 3 to share their love of the ancient craft.
The circle of story tellers will meet monthly at their new venue of Town Hall Arts Centre to enthrall the public with their tales.
Under the International Fund for Ireland’s BorderTalk project a number of these Yarnspinners Circles have popped up in the region and there are more in many other counties across Ireland, all supporting a renaissance in the ancient craft of Irish storytelling.
These new Seanchai are helping to revive an art that was vibrant and close to Irish society for many ages but which declined in the 20th century. Now, a new grassroots movement of seanchai are sharing their tales and stories of horror, humour, drama and laughter to audiences in live performances.
In an age where screentime absorbs our eyes, many will find this is a refreshing way to be entertained and cajoled, the original social media of the ancient times, but brought back to life in these voices in County Cavan. Led by Daniel Downey and Catherine McGuinness, the Breifne Yarnspinners will be hosted in Cavan Town Hall monthly from June onwards on Friday nights and the variety of voices and stories are sure to be a treat to the senses.
On the launch night the audience heard bloody tales of fairy mischief, uproarious laughter from limericks, dramatic tensions about local gossips and ancient folklore of times long forgotten. Now, we have a chance to hear them again.
“We’re living in a key moment in the cultural movement in Ireland where Storytelling is rising again and we’re starting to see the sense in looking away from screens for our entertainment again. Here’s a chance for something ancient but also new, here’s a chance for a great night’s fun,” Daniel Downey said at the launch.
Listeners
“With supports from the likes of IFI, Storytellers of Ireland, The Armstrong Trust and under the brilliant inspiration from folks such as Candlelit Tales or Aindrias de Staic, we have a chance of igniting a brilliant new craft in Irish society. It just needs your support as listeners and as audience members,’ Downey added, inviting guest storyteller, Francis McCarron from Monaghan to the floor.
Present and telling were also Sarah McKenna Dunne whose specialty in dark folklore had everyone enraptured, and legendary storyteller from the glens of Antrim, Liz Weir, whose tellings have entertained for decades.
The 90 minute event was a taster of the amazing stories to come and you can find out more by finding Breifne Yarnspinners on Facebook or Instagram or contacting Cavan Town Hall for a schedule of their monthly Storytelling sessions.