WEST Cork’s islands are set to welcome three acclaimed storytellers as part of Cork County Council’s Storytellers in Residence programme.
Paddy O’Brien, Nuala Hayes and Simone Schuemmelfeder will each undertake a 10-month residency with their project entitled ‘Three Heads – Na Trí Chinn on Seven Islands’, which will engage local people across the seven inhabited West Cork islands: Dursey, Bere, Whiddy, Long, Heir, Sherkin and Oileán Chléire.
All three storytellers have a rich history of working with communities, arts centres and storytelling festivals for many years.
Originally from Kerry, Irish-speaking Paddy O’Brien has appeared at storytelling festivals all over the country, including at the world-famous Cape Clear Storytelling Festival.
Nuala Hayes has worked as a storyteller in West Cork previously, in 2006, teaching children in the Gougane Barra area.
She was the founder of Dublin storytelling festival, Scéalta Shamhna.
Simone Schuemmelfeder grew up near the Fairy Tale Road in Germany which connects the locations of many tales the Brothers Grimm collected, and uses that experience as a jumping off point for many of her tales.
The residency will combine participatory live events, song, story-exchange, research into existing folklore and island stories, video, podcasting, and visual art inspired by island stories.
There will also be an emphasis on connecting different islands and islanders through the arts, as well as responding to the rich creativity already on the islands.
The residency will engage with the Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, as well as Storytellers of Ireland.
Paddy O’Brien says the three are excited to get going on the islands: ‘Nuala, Simone and I are excited to further develop our relationships with the islands and connect with islanders of all ages through the art of storytelling.’
County mayor Cllr Joe Carroll welcomed the residency, saying: ‘Storytelling is a huge part of our culture in county Cork. The Creative Places West Cork Islands programme continues to impact and support islanders of all ages, while contributing to the rich and varied arts across all seven islands. This residency will also help to nurture and grow the Irish language, which is very much alive across the West Cork Islands.’
Visit creativeplaceswci.ie to keep up to date with the project.
