Yarn Storytelling Festival Bray 2019

Mermaid Arts Centre Presents

9 - 17 November 2019

Tel: 01 272 4030 www.mermaidartscentre.ie

HJÖRLEIFUR STEFÁNSSON (ICELAND) See Pages 11/14/16

Mermaid Arts Centre Presents

9 - 17 November 2019 Welcome to Yarn Storytelling Festival Bray 2019, brought to you by Mermaid Arts Centre.

Now celebrating our 10th year, YARN is a community based non-profit making festival that strives to bring the art-form of storytelling to as many people of all ages in the community as possible.

This year’s programme is once again brimming with some of Ireland’s top storytellers and performers. We are thrilled to welcome international guest Hjörleifur Stefánsson from Iceland.

Artist and storyteller Paul Timoney is Yarn’s Storyteller in Residence and he has been facilitating a series of creative workshops with pupils from North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School. Be sure to drop into our gallery to see their work. Admission is free.

This brochure details the public events. Behind the scenes storytelling sessions are taking place in schools, community groups and nursing homes.This would not be possible without the continued support of local businesses and groups, listed at the back of this programme. Thanks to all who support the festival.

So take a look at the line up and let a story weave its magic on you.

Tel: 01 272 4030 www.mermaidartscentre.ie

YARN/GALLERY

THE MUSEUM OF MADE UP STUFF

Opens FRIDAY 8 November | 6pm | Free Admission | All Welcome Exhibition runs SATURDAY 9 Nov − SATURDAY 23 Nov | 10am − 6pm Storyteller in Residence Paul Timoney at North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School.

Join us in Mermaid’s Gallery for a wonderful exhibition of storytelling creativity!

Since the start of term Paul Timoney, our Storyteller in Residence, has been facilitating a series of creativity workshops with pupils from North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School. The focus of these workshops was exploring the idea of repurposing materials and items to give them a new life. The result is a colourful, magical and very unique story-themed show.

In THE MUSEUM OF MADE UP STUFF participants were given ordinary objects and recycling materials and then asked to use their imaginations to create a variety of new, imaginative and novel functions, based on their shape, appearance and attributes.

The pupils worked both individually or in groups to create a piece along with drawings to explain their favourite ideas. All the objects, writings and illustrations are brought together to form an unusual museum in Mermaid’s gallery.

And alongside the gallery show for us humans, there is also an exhibition for cats…. Because why not?

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CILLIAN BRENNAN

Ó BHOTHÁIN GO CAISLEÁIN

SATURDAY 9 November | 12pm Free | Venue: Town Hall (Upstairs) | Age Suitability: 5+ Fadó, fadó bhíodh scéalta, seanchas agus saíocht ar fáil ón seanchaí. Ní saoi ná seanchaí é Cillian Ó Braonáin agus pleidhcíocht seachas saíocht a chuireann sé ar fáil, ach is cinnte go bfhuil sé siúlach agus scéalach. I gcomhluadar síoga, draoithe, laochra agus tuilleadh a bheidh tú agus tú ag éisteacht lena scéalta.

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FAMILY TALES WITH CILLIAN BRENNAN

SHORTENING THE ROAD

SATURDAY 9 November | 2pm Free | Venue: The Shoot Room, Killrudddery | Age Suitability: 5+ Cillian Brennan tells the stories he's heard and the ones he's made up to anyone who'll sit still long enough to listen to them. His favourite stories are ones that contain seeds of truth sheathed in beautiful lies.

An award-winning stand-up comedian, Cillian's first love has always been stories. He has performed at the Listowel Writers’ Festival, at the Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, and at other storytelling events up and down the country. His particular interest in the Irish Language spurred him on to found ReRá – a monthly Irish-language storytelling night in Cork City where he continues to live happily ever after.

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A FUN PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOP WITH PHILIP BYRNE

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

SATURDAY 9 November | 3pm €5 in aid of Greystones Cancer Support | Venue: The Martello | Duration: 2 hs Join storyteller Philip Byrne for a fun, participatory workshop exploring the back story or the “what happened next” of existing “six-word stories”. These are full stories condensed into six words but beg the question of what happened before the event and/or what happened after. For example: “Freeze! Don’t move!” “I’m just …”

BANG! or ‘Found true love. Married someone else.’ These raise more questions than answers. We’ll have creative fun ‘fleshing-out’ stories like these. Limited to 12 participants, booking essential.

Kindly supported by An Evening of Food, Folklore & Fairies in The Brazen Head (Johnny Daly Irish Folk Tours).

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SUPERNATURAL IRELAND WITH HELENA BYRNE SATURDAY 9 November | 8pm €12/10 | Venue: Town Hall (Upstairs) | Age Suitability: 16+

Today's Ireland is fast paced and technology heavy. Our phones give us the world at our fingertips. Scientific research progresses by the day. Yet the Irish still wear the supernatural on their sleeves. Join storyteller Helena Byrne as she delves into that which remains unexplained, with tales of spirits and demonic energies across Ireland, haunted buildings that carry the weight of their history into the present day, and accounts of personal experiences that have shaken the staunchest of sceptics.

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CAFFE LETTERARIO GATTANERA PRESENTS UNIQUE FOLK MUSIC & DANCES FROM SOUTH OF ITALY

SATURDAY 9 November | 8pm FREE (Booking preferable (01-2116861)

An evening celebrating the unique Folk Music and Dances from South of Italy. Is there a story behind certain dances? Caffe Letterario GattaNera will host an evening celebrating the unique Folk Music and Dances from South of Italy, like Pizzica, Tammurriate and Neapolitan Villanelle. In particular Pizzica (means bite), a frenetic dance, goes back many centuries in Puglia. The story behind the dance is that is was said to be a cure for spider bites, tarantula).

Tammurriata from Campania, has very old origins. It is a rural dance, tied to fertility, with agricultural work evoked in the steps.

Music play by Ammazzacaffe. Gerry Anderson: Guitar, Mandolin, Battente. Antonella Di Palo: Voice, Tambourines.

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POETRY IN THE PARK

SUNDAY 10 November | 12pm Free | Venue: The Bandstand, People’s Park, Bray | Age Suitability: All Ages Poetry in the Park is a local community event where people come together to read poems - either their own or a poem written by someone else that they would like to share. Usually the event takes place on the bandstand in the People’s Park at 12pm on the 1st Sunday each month, but for November the event will take place on the 10th November as it will be part of YARN Storytelling Festival with guest storyteller Philip Byrne. The event takes place whatever the weather and everyone is welcome, including children. There is no pressure to read as listeners are most welcome.

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NIALL DE BÚRCA’S WORLD TALES SUNDAY 10 November | 3pm €5 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre

Grab your seat and hang on tight, Niall de Búrca is coming to Mermaid Arts Centre! More dangerous than the pied piper, de Búrca will cast a spell on young and old alike. Join him on Sunday 10th November as he conjures up a roller coaster of tales from many lands. Raised on the wild Atlantic coast, Niall now performs worldwide sharing tales of derring do!

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MOTH & BUTTERFLY

SUNDAY 10 November | 7pm €10/8 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre | Age Suitability: 16+ Described as ‘Galway’s most magical arts night’, Moth and Butterfly is a storytelling event with huge heart. The tellers combine short true personal stories, fiction/folk tales with improvised stories, as well as inviting audience tellers to participate. Each night of stories has a theme, and for YARN that theme is ‘The Connection’. For more info on how the night works visit: facebook.com/mothandbutterflystories.

To request your name in the hat to tell on the night email: mothandbutterflystories@gmail.com. Join us for a very special night of stories.

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BOMBINATE THEATRE

SUSIE AND THE STORY SHREDDER

TUESDAY 12 November | 10:30am & 12.30pm €8 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre | Age Suitability: 6+ | Duration: 50mins All stories are banned in the kingdom of Levitas. King Levi says that stories make your brain go fuzzy and your hands turn green. It’s Susie and Shredder’s job to enforce the King’s law, shredding stories from dawn ‘til dusk. But today, Susie will read a story for the very first time.

Perhaps stories aren’t so scary after all. An upbeat adventure from the award-winning creators of Half Light. (No actual stories were harmed in the making of this play).

"Smart, funny, and wonderfully engaging." - The Arts Review **** For school bookings contact box office on 01-2724030.

Tour funded by The Arts Council of Ireland.

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BRIAN WHITE

THE MARITIME HISTORY OF BRAY

TUESDAY 12 November | 8pm €5 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre Bray has strong maritime traditions, but did you know that Bray had five harbours, the first established in 1699 around a lime kiln just off the Seapoint Road? Golf came to Bray in 1762 as a result of smuggling. Yes, pirates used Bray to smuggle tea, gin, brandy and tobacco. In 1957 the lighthouse fell into the sea at Bray Harbour giving to the saying that "Bray is the only place in the world with a lighthouse for submarines". Bathing Goggles were invented in Bray.

Come and explore the Maritime History of the town.

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STORYTELLING AT DUFF'S WITH

HJÖRLEIFUR STEFÁNSSON (ICELAND) WEDNESDAY 13 November | 8pm Free | Venue: Frank Duff's Lounge, Main St.

A highlight of this year's YARN Festival, join us in Frank Duff's Lounge for an evening of tales from Iceland. Hjörleifur Stefánsson was born in western Iceland in the middle of second hay harvest in August 1979.

He is a farmer, innkeeper, carpenter and a fan of all things brewed.

Hjörleifur grew up on a farm with his grandparents living a stone’s throw away on the next farm over. He was served stories of old Iceland as well as poems and songs along with his porridge for years, his grandparents being storytellers by nature.

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CANDLELIT TALES IN COLLABORATION WITH AINDRIAS DE STAIC

SETTING SAIL ON A VOYAGE TALE

THURSDAY 14 November | 8pm €5 in aid of RNLI Dun Laoghaire - pay on door | Venue: Harbour Bar (Upstairs) We the Irish have travelled far and wide telling all sorts of tales. The greater the Voyage, the greater the tale. Aindrias de Staic teams up with un-traditional storytelling troupe, Candlelit Tales. An award winning musician/comedian/storyteller, Aindrias brings his fiddle playing and folktale telling talent to the Irish Myth and Music aficionados, Aron Hegarty and Ru O’Shea. A coming together of some of Ireland's most exciting new story-tellers. Young artists who inject energy, music and humour into their stories. These three gifted storytellers and musicians will set sail this November, and embark on a night of music, myth and madness.

Photograph by Ru O'Shea. Kindly supported by The Harbour Bar.

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TONY DOYLE

WEEKEND WARRIOR

THURSDAY 14 November | 8pm €12/10 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre ‘If I can’t remember and I’m not told about it, technically it didn’t happen.’ Wayne drinks, does drugs and gets into fights but it’s grand because he doesn’t get arrested or bring trouble to the door. Once he sorts out what he wants to do with his life and learns how to do all the things his Da can, like hang a shelf, change a tyre or screw in a light bulb in under ten minutes, he’ll be fine.

Written and performed by Tony Doyle, directed by Aonghus Óg McAnally. Weekend Warrior went down a storm at Dublin Fringe Festival 2019.

Don’t miss your chance to see it at Mermaid.The performance will be followed by a short Q & A.Please note: contains themes of suicide. ‘‘Weekend Warrior’ is a humorous and gut wrenching tale, which expertly offers a glimpse into a story that is not often shared.’ Meg.ie, Kevin Worrall

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NIALL DE BÚRCA PRESENTS SOPHIE’S TALE FRIDAY 15 November | 11am €5 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre | Age Suitability: 14+

It’s 1942 and Hitler controls most of Europe. The Nazi Führer orders all opposition be eliminated and The Final Solution enacted. In the East his 6th Army marches on Stalingrad. In Munich a young woman starts University. Sophie Scholl was born in 1921; the year Hitler took over the Nazi Party and began his climb to power. Sophie joins her brother and friends at University in acts of resistance against Nazi rule. The stakes are high; to be caught means certain death.

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NIALL DE BÚRCA PRESENTS HOOLEY OF TALES FRIDAY 15 November | 8pm €12/10 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre | Age Suitability: 16+

Join Niall de Búrca for an evening of traditional and contemporary stories including The Tale of Mary McAteer. A young woman who moves to County Wicklow to work at Dell on the Boghall Road. While waking the beach one day Mary uncovers an object that sparks a series of decisions from which there is no return.

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STORYTELLING YOGA WITH NICOLA FOXE SATURDAY 16 November | 10am & 11:30am €10 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre | Age Suitability: 3 - 8 years

Using popular titles such as We're Going on a Bear Hunt and The Gruaffalo, Nicola Foxe combines the wonders of storytelling with the benefits of yoga creating a captivating 'Yoga Storytelling' experience for the children. Moving their way through the beginning and middle to the end of the session, the children will learn breathing techniques and a sequence of poses all to the tune of their favourite stories.

Nicola is a child yoga specialist, an SNA and has been teaching yoga to children of all ages, abilities and cultures since 2012.

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ICELANDIC TALES WITH

HJÖRLEIFUR STEFÁNSSON (ICELAND)

SATURDAY 16 November | 2pm Free | Venue: The Shoot Room, Killruddery | Age Suitability: 5+ Hjörleifur Stefánsson is a storyteller and farmer from Iceland.

He has collected and shared tales for years, both with his kids, audiences and his sheep. Giants, trolls, hidden people and ghosts are his companions as well as Icelanders of the past and their traditions of song and stories. We are delighted to welcome him to YARN this year and look forward to his tales in the wonderful atmospheric surrounds of The Shoot Room in Killruddery.

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YARN WORKSHOP

LIZ WEIR: EARNED WISDOM

SATURDAY 16 November | 10.30am - 4:30pm ₏30 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Cenre A workshop on telling stories for and with older people and people living with dementia.

Facilitated by storyteller Liz Weir, this workshop aims to show how storytelling can effectively promote inter-generational activity, preserve memories, improve self esteem and value the memories and contribution of older members of our community. It links the past, present and future. The presentation will be inter-active and practical.

Liz Weir recently received an MBE for her work with storytelling and older people. A great opportunity to tap in to her expertise.

Limited capacity, early booking advised. The full workshop programme can be viewed on www.mermaidartscentre.ie.

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ORCHARD TALES WITH

HJÖRLEIFUR STEFÁNSSON (ICELAND)

SATURDAY 16 November | 4pm Free | Venue: Fassaroe Community Centre | Age Suitability: 5+ Join our guest storyteller from Iceland, Hjörleifur Stefánsson, for some family tales as we continue to celebrate the Heritage Orchard planted by children. As the trees grow stronger each year so too do the tales and this year we are in for a real treat. Hjörleifur has been collecting tales for years and his tales are steeped in Iceland traditions. Expect trolls, giants and a lot of fun. All are welcome.

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THE SPEKS

SUNDAY 17 November | 2pm €8 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre | Age Suitability: 2 - 92 years A family highlight at this year’s YARN, The Speks present a lively show of nursery rhymes and sing-along songs set to acoustic Irish music which will have adults and kids jumping in their seats! The Speks live on a mysterious island off the coast of Co. Clare called Glasses Island where everybody wears glasses! The band encourages kids to sing, scream, clap and dance along during their performances. Winners of the Parent’s Choice music award in the US where their music has been described as “Riverdance for toddlers!, this will be a great fun event for kids of all ages. Sing along and sing aloud! Early booking advised.

"The Speks... They're really great." – Derek Mooney, RTE Radio 1

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COLUM SANDS – SONG BRIDGE SATURDAY 16 November | 8pm €12/10 | Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre

Colum Sands has spent much of his life travelling the world, crossing borders and building bridges with the power of his songs and stories, often using humour as a way to point out the odder aspects of human behaviour. His longest journeys always bring him home to where the magnificent oak trees of Rostrevor’s ancient woodland sweep down to the spectacular shores of Carlingford Lough. Where swallows and seagulls share the airways and people ponder on the mysteries of Brexit and other conundrums of life, Colum continues to weave the new songs and stories which will make up his 10th album, Song Bridge, due for release in September 2019.

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THANK YOU!

A huge thanks to all of our partners and supporters.

Not all events in YARN are open to the public.

There is lots going on behind the scenes too.

Without the help and support of the following, YARN would not be possible. Thanks especially to: The Arts Council Of Ireland An Evening of Food, Folklore & Fairies at the Brazen Head Bray Credit Union Bray Cualann Historical Society Bray Municipal District Caffé Letterario GattaNera Carlton Clinic Connect Ballywaltrim Dublin Yarnspinners Frank Duff’s Lounge Killruddery House & Gardens Kinvara House Nursing Home Little Bray Family Resource Centre Little Bray Youth Heritage Orchard Loreto Secondary School St. Cronan’s Boys NS North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School Poetry in the Park The Harbour Bar The Martello Triple Spiral Storytellers, Killcullen Wicklow County Council Library Services Wicklow County Council If you are interested in holding a storytelling session in 2020 for a community group you are involved with, please let us know at Mermaid Arts Centre (e-mail: pr@mermaidartscentre.ie)

HELENA BYRNE See Page 7

Tel: 01 272 4030 www.mermaidartscentre.ie