Irish storytelling today

Irish Storytelling Today Collaborative storytelling initiative

Supported by The National Leprechaun Museum

Storytelling.ie

“What’s the story ?”

Summary If we think about storytelling today, its probably about digital storytelling & strategies for sticky online communications and less likely that we think about the myths and legends from our childhood. Most of us don’t realise just how much storytelling is a core human activity and how it dates to the very beginning of society.

Irish people have a reputation for great storytelling. Storytelling is a skill and an art. It is the invisible glue of society linked and entwined with the landscape. Our digital age, which can distort time and space can easily erode this natural understanding.

We want to preserve storytelling and our connection with the landscape. We believe it is essential to the health of a society in the long term.

This concept document maps out a project, starting in September, to reanimate Irish Storytelling within the wider community . It has three core pillars that involve engagement, training and sharing. This pilot project will conclude in June 2017.

This is a starting point, an invite to communities to join in and create a living legacy. Read on for further insights on the background, idea, project foundations, the people involved, engagement models and funding.

“Aon scéal ?”

“Perhaps no modern country has place-names so charged with legendary associations as are those of Ireland. Poetry and myth are there still closely wedded to the very soil of the land- a fact in which there lies ready to hand an agency for education , for inspiration, of the noblest kind, if only we had the insight to see it and the art to make use of it.�

T.W. Rolleston 1911

Contents 1.

Introduction

2.

Proposal

3.

Project Overview

5.

Timeline

6.

Funding

7.

Contact

8.

Appendices

1

Introduction The Storytelling animal Stories & Landscape Digital Stories Irish Storytelling

The storytelling animal Storytelling is the oldest of arts - older than cave paintings of Altamira in Spain or the treasures of Blombos in Africa. It connects us to the cradle of humanity, the beginning of our symbolic culture.

We share stories to connect, entertain and educate. Stories help us to order and make sense of our world.

Stories appeal to us - we can empathise with the characters, share in their world as they share in ours.

Stories stay with us as we grow and change in our environment.

History may report and science can describe, but stories make room; for people, for imagination, for improvement. Stories help us to re-imagine and reinvent ourselves and our world.

Stories influence everybody they engage - the tellers and the listeners. They reach and hold audiences, change perceptions and create a sense of purpose.

They let us shape the world around us. We constantly tell stories, to other people and ourselves.

Stories were passed Ă“ ghluin go gluin-generation to generation- This translates literally as from knee to knee, a phrase that captures the intimacy of Irish storytelling

“...we have evolved to engage in art and in storytelling because of the survival advantages they offer our species.

Art prepares minds for open-ended learning and creativity; Fiction specifically improves our social cognition and our thinking beyond the here and now.

On the origin of Stories (Boyd p 209)

Stories & landscape

Every story happens in a place, every place has a story.

Stories are shaped by our Landscape, in turn, they shape our understanding of that Landscape. Our stories spring from the landscape and flow into our communities, a stream that cannot be grasped but only experienced.

Stories are a treasure we have only when we share them.

In Ireland stories come from the deep landscape. High places and holy places, hills mounds, monuments, trees, caves and rivers mark this landscape of myths, legends and pilgrims.

It is not foolish to imagine that every stone and well in Ireland has a tale to tell about a goddess, a saint, a pilgrim, a hero or a fool.

Like archaeologists, we have an idea what lies beneath but we don’t have the whole story yet or anymore. Stories trace connections between our present and the legends in the landscape. These connections may create new understandings of the meaning and power of their mythology, a connection that allows us to unearth the “spirit� of the place, and revive that spirit again.

“...if...our entire landscape tradition is the product of a shared culture, it is by the same token a tradition built from a rich deposit of myths , memories, and obsessions.

The cults which we are told to seek in other native cultures – of the primitive forest, of the river of life, of the sacred mountain – are in fact alive and well

out there for us, if only we know where to look for them.”

- Landscape and Memory, Simon Schama

Digital storytelling...

Digital storytelling...

Is the art of storytelling with digitized images sound, music and text, in the voice of the storyteller.

Can be shared over platforms and communities. It may be a single twitter feed, facebook page or snapchat event.

May be a collaboration on channels shaped by many.

Retains the core principles of story-telling even if communities & firesides are virtual

Digital storytelling

Tends to be one directional.

Is easily accessible as the software is free and accessible.

Means Everybody can be a storyteller on a global scale.

Is rapidly expanding

Digital storytelling

Is new and rapidly expanding.

Dissolves time and distance as encounters become increasingly virtual or augmented.

Makes it important to make sense of the spaces we live in.

Means we should take ownership of our communities through the stories that we choose to share.

A billion dollar Digital story

https://youtu.be/ZUG9qYTJMsI

“I know only one thing about the technologies of the future : we will find ways to tell stories with them. - Jason Ohler

Irish storytelling

People have been telling tales in Ireland for thousands of years.

90 years ago Séamus Ó Duilearga founded the Folklore of Ireland Society., an attempt to record the folklore of generations at a time of change in Ireland. In this the decade of remembrance, on the threshold of a new world , it is time to get to these stories and craft our future from our past.

The Irish term Béaloideas predates the English word Folklore.

Storytelling may seem simple, but it’s only effective when it’s done well. It requires a deft shaping of narrative, an ability to hold an audience and the willingness to stand up. These are some of the skills we will revitalise and reaffirm with communities.

Storytelling is a skilled and courageous craft. We take a series of events, shape them with plot, character and detail, and then set out to hold the attention of a listener or an audience, we build confidence in ourselves and stimulate listening and attention.

Irish storytelling is known the world over.

Irish storytelling A renewal and reinvigoration of our facility for and reputation as storytellers will strengthen; our connections with each other, our lived experiences and the landscape.

This will in turn enhance our international reputation.

For something so close to our core, is it not something we should care about more?

2 Proposal Create interest Nurture talent

Make storytelling a popular activity

Nurture and develop a popular storytelling culture.

When we tell stories, we’re not just performing, we’re living our heritage.

3 Project Overview 3 X Pillars People & places Collaboration & Participation Authorship & Ownership Engagement & Workshops Celebrating progress Outcomes A living legacy

Three Pillars Build a foundation within the community.

Celebrate the outcome stages Invite more communities to do the same

People & places Place, community, landscape they’re all connected in story. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a first kiss, a mad adventure, or an heroic tale, every part of the landscape we live in is alive with story. With this is mind we have proposed six places across the country steeped in story and with a deep mythological connection as our starting points: Place/ (possible story) The Boyne, Co. Meath (The Salmon of Knowledge) The Hill of Tara, Co, Meath (How Fionn Became Leader of The Fianna) The Hill of Allen, Co. Kildare (Sadhb and the Fear Doirche) The Caves of Kesh Corann, Co. Sligo (Kesh Corann and The Witches) Cairn Feargaill, Co.Longford, (The Hospitality of Cuanna) Slieve Gullion (The Chase of Slieve Gullion)

Collaboration We want to collaborate with people in a creative way. This is a sensitive, challenging and rewarding area. The process - of the relationship as well as the creation - is a valuable part of the project.

There are well established guidelines for working in a collaborative way like this, but in truth no two projects are alike. We will work with the core principles of Access, Authorship, Ownership and Participation.

Access & Participation Everybody is welcome. We are facilitators not creators or curators, everyone gets to create and tell stories. We have a vision and a passion for this work, we welcome the participation of artists local to each community. We want to share skills and work with the participants, and to provide experienced project support.

We propose to work in short cycles to create stories. We will encourage people to deliver them quickly. This means we can be effective, build momentum, and learn quickly. We can then adapt to the ideas and requirements of the participants.

Authorship & Ownership Ownership of the stories in both oral and digital form remains with the people who create them.

There will be no collection, writing down, publication nor transfer of copyright - unless the participants agree to or request it.

Story-telling is a democratic forum.

What’s important is that the participants take the stories and skills with them into the wider world.

Engagement Firstly we’re meeting with key people in local authorities. We have discussed and developed the idea with them, and engaged their advice and support. They will help identify individuals, groups and organisations (including artists) in their communities, and distribute information on the project through their mailing lists and networks.

We’ll extend an invitation through those lists and networks to a special local event. At this inaugural event we will tell stories, talk about oral and digital storytelling, outline our idea, listen to what people think and plan the roll-out of the project.

This will be the beginning of our “self - defined community”, and with them we will scope out the project.

Workshops With these communities we will organise local work-shops on oral and digital story-telling.

Workshops can be facilitated by Leprechaun Museum Storytellers, and local experienced storytelling artists. Participants will be invited to create and shape their own stories of their lives and the place they live in. Documentation will only happen with their agreement.

Celebrating Success Mid Cycle events - Topping out Stories need to be told. We will mark people’s progress with a series of story-telling events, on/offline. These events can be decided on and designed by the participants. They could include an evening of storytelling in a local pub, or local historic site. Free and open to the public, it will be mostly be the storytellers their family and friends.

They could have a narrative or theme, design thinking plays a part as we weave digital and oral stories together. They can be immersive, an installation or a “Story Slam”. Locations could be a found space, a nightclub, a local theatre or arts centre.

They could be a digital happening – a collective storytelling event across single or multiple social media platforms. The collective telling of a series of stories on twitter, for example, blurring the line between listener and storyteller.

End cycle event – Stories from the Past/Mythology We will explore with the participants stories of their parents & grandparents, and further back. We will build these stories from the history of the place itself.

To mark the end of this phase we will explore with the participants the myths and legends associated with the place, and create a series of retellings (oral and digital) in the actual landscape.

Outcomes Immediate outcomes A “treasury� of stories oral & digital A cohort of skilled and passionate storytellers across the community A template document to guide others in the development of storytelling communities, so that the project can be replicated elsewhere.

Media interest and conversations Increased awareness about storytelling Qualitative outcomes A positive impact on a local community in personal wellbeing, networking, stimulation, creativity, innovation & confidence.

Collaborations create a Safe Space, and a sense of Belonging. They develop Confidence, Self Esteem, Self Awareness. They can contribute to the well-being of the community by allowing people to Explore and Express difficult feelings and re-discover their own creativity.

Collaborative tasks give people the experience of creating something bigger than themselves or one person’s vision. They enlarge our sense of self and our sense of what is possible for the community Develop community innovation. Stories provide a model for how things can work, how things can get done. Shared stories make teams and bridge the gap between individuals and institutions.

A Living Legacy Other possible outcomes that are not only desirable, but we strongly believe are achievable over time through this project The fire catches on, other communities start their own storytelling projects Stories can lead us to lost knowledge Storytelling becomes part of daily life again A growing regard for storytelling excellence An abundance of indigenous stories A storytelling culture restored Awareness and interest overseas A general understanding in society about the importance of storytelling A healthier society Better communication skills A closer connection to nature A more confident and aware population A connection to heritage through a lived experience A feeling of being in comfortable in our skins A connection to the Irish language and its nuances A keen ear for waffle Delight ... and many more......

4 People Motivation Team

4. People

Why were doing it...

Together we will celebrate the storytelling gene, the indestructible human capacity for self invention and endless reinvention. We will tease out the common elements of all stories from the earliest to the latest.

People and communities are created, defined and sustained by the stories they tell. We want to make storytelling an everyday experience so that communities can take real possession of their place again.

We can re-imagine how a place is experienced and understood, for the tourist as much as the resident, the historian or the archivist. The stories will be available, in the minds and mouths of the community, and online.

An imaginative landscape complements and enlivens the physical landscape.

Strengthening connections through storytelling strengthens our connection to nature and our Intangible heritage. Story telling is intrinsic to our cultural and physical environment.

John O Brien - project development John is a Project Manager/Producer and Consultant in the Cultural Sector. He is an authority on the Event Cinema industry and has advised every major Irish Cultural Institution on opportunities in that sector. He worked on the new Cultural Policy for Dublin City Council, and has prepared the methodology for their Cultural Mapping project. He consults with a range of clients in the arts on business planning, development and marketing. He also lectures on the BA in Applied Theatre (community, museums, education and business) in CDCFE, in Change Management at the Quinn School of Business and in Cultural Policy and Arts Management at UCD. In his youth he founded/co-founded numerous influential theatre companies including the award winning Crypt Arts Centre in Dublin Castle and directed over 50 critically acclaimed shows, touring nationally and internationally. He was Producer with Guna Nua Theatre, CEO of Riverbank Arts Centre, a Producer/Director with The Heritage Corporation, and a founder and General Manager of Rough Magic Theatre Company. With the Heritage Corporation, he developed over 100 hours of video for the nascent sell through video industry, targeting diaspora markets. He holds a Masters in Business and Management and qualifications in Project Management and Digital Marketing.

Dr. Bonnie Long, NUIG Digital Storytelling Adviser Bonnie joined the NUI, Galway School of Education in 2000, and completed an M.Sc. in Technology and Learning at Trinity College, Dublin, in 2008. She completed the structured Ph.D. program in Education Technology at NUI, Galway in 2014. Bonnie’s Ph.D. research focused on the use of Digital Storytelling as a method of enhancing student teachers’ ability to be reflective practitioners. Areas of interest include reflection and reflective practice, storytelling and narrative in education, Digital Storytelling, auto-ethnography in teacher education and pre-service teachers’ use of technology. Bonnie is the facilitator of the Irish Learning Technology Association (ILTA) Special Interest Group (SIG) on Digital Storytelling.

Sabina Bonnici – Cross Platform Storytelling Adviser Sabina is a Creative Producer with over 18 years of experience that crosses over from traditional broadcast media to producing a broad spectrum of award-winning digital products (including digital strategy, websites, ecommerce, e-learning platforms, mobile & social apps to name but a few). Through her company, Fizzy Thinking, she works with both small and large organisations to help them tell their stories using digital interaction and engagement. She has created work with Airbnb, Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, Loose Horse Productions, and created Ireland's first Wikipedia edit-a-thon & Wiki Loves Monuments national photo competition. She created 1014 Retold: A Twitter retelling of the Battle of Clontarf and provides training for RTÉ Television’s upcoming TV Producers in cross-platform storytelling

Tom O’Rahilly- Director of The National Leprechaun Museum /Designer Tom is director of the National Leprechaun Museum. An industrial designer (NCAD) by training he developed and implemented the museum as a way of connecting people to their imaginative history. With the help of D. Ó h Ógain from the folklore dept in UCD he started the museum in 2010. Over the last 6 years the project has gone from strength to strength. The museum gives street level access to the oral culture of Ireland. Now with over 90,000 visitors each year the museum celebrates through spoken word with people from far and near the heart and history of Ireland. The museum was designed as a series of narrative landscapes through which the visitor makes their way with a storyteller. He has worked as a furniture designer and has been involved in a number of high scale projects for private and corporate clients in Ireland and abroad. His designs have been exhibited in London, Paris and New York. He is a member of VIA and the IDI.

5 Timeline This pilot project is set to start in September 2016 and will conclude in June 2017.

We wish to see the project develop further afterwards into a long lasting legacy.

6 Funding The first phase of this project is funded by the National Leprechaun Museum.

We invite people and organisations who share in our belief of stories and the power They confer to join us in this project.

7 Contact Contact details intro@storytelling.ie (awaiting activation by hosting 25 July 2016)

139Abbey Street upper Dublin 1

8 Appendices Printed copies of the stories available by request Pp 11,26 Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (‘An Seabhac’), 1932, retrieved from http://www.ucd.ie/irishfolklore/ga/sceimbhealoideasnascol1937-38/image-1-thumb,36270,ga.html Page 2 Women having lunch on Moore street, Mark Murray Page 4 Peig Sayers - Courtesy of the National Leprechaun Museum Page 6 The legend of Knockgrafton - Illustratedr J. D. Batten Page 9 The Aran Islands - Elizabeth Rivers Page 12 Loughcrew detail- Bob Vance, courtesy National Leprechaun Museum Page 13 Hill of Tara, - Bob Vance courtesy National Leprechaun Museum Page 15 Reflection in the lake of Sorrows Slieve Gullion, Armagh courtesy NLM Page 21 Detail of Moone High Cross courtesy the National Leprechaun Museum Page 23 Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann (CBÉ) / Irish Folklore Commission , retrieved from http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ivrla:10109 Page 25 Fireside story courtesy NLM Page 28 Dolmen –Bob Vance Courtesy the National Leprechaun Museum

“People think that stories are shaped by people In fact it’s the other way around”

Terry Pratchett

Then he heard it again ! Just a very faint yelp As if some tiny person were calling for help.

“I’ll help you” said Horton.“But who are you? where?”

Horton hears a who, 1954 - Dr. Seuss