This fall I had the opportunity to lead a storytelling retreat in one of the richest places in the world for stories, the southernmost island in all of Ireland – Cape Clear. The picture of the group is below, and their stories were wonderful. There were true tales of banshees, of a fellow named Walter, whose name had come from a Flemish song about a goldfish, and his good friend, Michel, whose name had come from the Beatles song. Though the two had been friends since childhood, neither had ever known that both their names came from songs. There was the story of the man who had no story, and the recounting of an ill-fated attempt to blow up a bridge during “the troubles.” There were tales of languages, the land, village characters, Irish folk hero, and the story of a young boy and hazelnut tree I don’t think I’ll ever forget. While these stories are not mine to tell, they are certainly rich, so if you happen to see anyone from the photo below, ask them to tell you a tale.
Wherever you may be from, if you are a lover of stories, you are likely drawn to Ireland. And, if you are thinking of going, you would do well to plan your trip during the first weekend in September, to attend the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival. You might also consider the weekend workshop that grew out of the festival, which takes place during the last weekend of October.
I have a long history with this festival, which has grown to be one of the most beloved in all of Ireland. It dates back to my travels telling stories around Europe in the 1980’s, and a meeting with Chuck Kruger in Zurich, a writer and great lover of stories.
Chuck founded the festival in 1994 and, true to his word, booked me as one of the featured tellers at that first teller at that first festival. My wife, Taly, and I went with our son, Elijah, who had just turned two. I had never been to Ireland before and, honored as I was, the prospect was more than a little intimidating – telling stories in Ireland! It seemed I should make an add-on trip to bring some coals to Newcastle. But the Irish audiences were just as warm and welcoming as could be, and I got to share the stage with some truly beloved Irish tellers, including Eddie Lenihan, Paddy O’Brien, Pat Ryan (an American, based in London) Liz Weir & Billy Tear.
That first festival stands out like an island in my memory, as befits a gathering on an island. Though I was invited back numerous times for future festivals, the timing was always a problem, as it always coincided with the first week of school here in California.
Finally, however, in the summer of 2016, with both kids grown and no longer needing us to shepherd them to school, Taly and I returned to Ireland. And what a treat it was to see the country – and to return to Cape Clear. Catching the boat from the small town of Baltimore, it was just as we remembered it. And in a world that seems to change all too rapidly, what a pleasure that was.
That festival led to an invitation to the weekend workshop, pictured below, twenty people, mostly from Ireland, with a few from Germany, Belgium, England and the United States, all harvesting the stories for their life.
And what better place to do it than on the enchanted island of Cape Clear.
While thinking about Ireland, here’s a link to an audio story tour through Cork!
