Yesterday was the launch of the 4th annual Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. Our first teller was Seosamh O'Maolalai, who tells in Gaelic. He did three sessions for the local Gael Schools at the Library in Ballinasloe and I heard two of them. One of the great things about storytelling is that you don't actually have to understand the language to enjoy the telling and that was certainly the case with Seosamh. He has a natural, engaging style and through his characterizations and the way the stories were structured, I was almost able to follow along. And then there is just the joy of hearing Seosamh's expressive use of the language. It was a great treat and an excellent beginning for the festival. In the photo at the top, Seosamh is in the middle of his story about the seven Chinese brothers that had the children captivated for close to an hour.
Between the sessions Mary Dillon, the librarian at Ballinasloe and one of the co-founders and producers of the festival with Danielle Allison, brought out huge trays of sandwiches and a very large pot of tea. I was honored when Mary told Seosamh that without me "there would be no Three Rivers Storytelling Festival." It's true, I was there at the beginning and bringing Irish tellers for Study Abroad Ireland has always been an integral part of the festival. But now Mary and Danielle do all the work of organizing the festival, which is held at libraries in Counties Galway, Westmeath, and for the first time this year, Offaly. Keeping the festival alive and growing in the current economy is no small thing. I'm very proud to be part of the festival and to have the opportunity to work with these two remarkable women.
From Ballinasloe, I went on in to Galway City to meet storyteller Clare Murphy. We went to Maxwell's on Eglinton Street, where Mark and I had lunch the week before. After a good visit, Clare took me along the River Corrib, where we saw fly fisherman standing in the river below the salmon weir, and a nice Canadian couple took our photograph. I'll be back in Galway next Tuesday to attend Clare's monthly Story Night. This will be the very last story night, on its fifth anniversary, as Clare has decided that it's time to move on.
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