These are the students in the summer 2008 Irish Storytelling Tradition class in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland. In the back from left to right are Jake McKindles, Lindsey Stokes, Arlyn Schmuck, Amber Watson, Marvin Pettet, and Michael O’Connell. In the front are Ashley Bagley, Alex Shannon, Kalli Fox, Michelle D’Ecclessis, Megan Anderson and Donna Tischer.
Today was our first day of class and we got off to a very good start. There are twelve of them and I’d met nine of them at an orientation, but didn’t really know anything about them. When they introduced themselves, I asked them to say why they had come on the program, why they had taken this class, and what they hoped to get out of it. Their responses were interesting; almost all of them have Irish ancestors, so connecting with heritage is an important motivator. Some came because they love to travel, others to immerse themselves in Irish culture, others because they had always wanted to visit Ireland.
In response to why they took The Irish Storytelling Tradition their responses were more varied. A couple took it explicitly to learn Irish stories; one said that stories were the “perfect souvenir” of the trip. A couple others took the class to learn to deal with stage fright or to improve their communication skills. Several want to learn more about storytelling, to learn to tell or to tell better. One said she decided to take it because “your whole life you will be telling stories”, so she figured now was the time to learn how. Another said she chose the course because “Ireland is about story and music.”
After the introductions, I broke them into four groups and led them in an exercise called “Learn an Irish Story Fast.” Each group had a different story, and within minutes the room was full of chatter. Once they had learned their stories, I sorted them into new groups. Each member of the new group had a different story. Once they’d told in their new groups, I asked for volunteers from each story to tell to the whole group. We had four volunteers – Jake McKindles, Amber Watson, Arlyn Schmuck, and Lindsey Stokes – and they all did very well.
After a short break we reviewed the syllabus and talked about their assignments. I was just telling them that Danielle would be bringing a big stack of books for them to use – when Danielle walked through the door with a very large basketful of books. She is spooky that way.
Tomorrow will be another good day; it’s the beginning of The Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. Nuala Hayes, who is arriving this evening, will be in our class to kick-off the festival.
Leave a Reply