Storytelling opportunities

Hello!
I am a Storyteller from New England. I am planning our first trip to Ireland in November, and am interested in opportunities to tell. I typically chase open mic’s at Pubs and such. Many Pubs will welcome spoken word. Are there such opportunities in the North of Ireland? (Galway, Sligo, Mayo, and surrounding counties.)

Thank you in advance.

Hello Quinn,

It's lovely to hear that you have plans to come over in November and are interested in performing your storytelling talents!

We would suggest a look at Poetry Ireland's website for some information on open mic nights where the spoken word is the main feature. They list various counties and places to perform, please take a look and see if there is somewhere that would fit in with your plans.

I hope this gives you some inspiration, and hopefully your fellow members and some industry partners will be able to add to this list! 

Speak soon, 
Martin

Hi Quinn,

It's great to hear you are coming to Ireland from New England with a wealth of stories to tell.  

You might want to check out the Glens Storytelling Festival. It usually takes place over a few days during the month of October, however I don't think the date for this year's event has been published yet so there is a possibility it might coincide with your visit. 

There is a great tradition of the spoken word and live music in this region of the Causeway Coast and Glens.  Several of the pubs in Cushendall, Cushendun and Ballycastle regularly host traditional music bands and there is a good chance that a few yarns are told during these sessions!  Another possibility for a  Saturday night is Ballyeamon Barn in Cushendall where they welcome all-comers to tell a tall tale or two!  

Best wishes for a great trip in November,
Anne

Hi Quinn,
In Sligo there are sometimes poetry circles in the Yeats Building, Hyde Bridge, Sligo Town.This may be a good opportunity.
There are also sometimes events in Sligo Central Library called 'The Word', but I do not know if there will be any of these events held in November as it is too far in advance at the moment.
A café called 'Ósta' in Sligo Town also sometimes has the Ósta Sessions, but again I am not sure of their dates.

There are a few open mics in different pubs in Sligo but I think these are mostly for musicians. However, there are plenty of open Traditional Music Sessions that may suit.
The trad sessions can be found at the following link: http://johnthemap.co.uk/sm-file/mobile.html.
These listings are updated every week and so you would be able to get accurate information in November with that link.

In County Mayo, there is Matt Molloy’s pub in Westport, which has a musician corner. There is also the Museum of Country Life, Turlough, Castlebar, and The Gallery Wine Bar, Westport (www.thegallerywestport.com) could be another option.

I hope this helps!

Hi Quinn,
I have received some more information - 
It has been suggested, that you should contact Rab Fulton, who is a local storyteller in the Galway area to get some more info/ details - https://rabfultonstories.weebly.com. Rab runs a weekly storytelling session during the high season in the Crane Bar.
There are some Comedy open mic nights in Galway, but not storytelling:
Róisin Dubh - Sundays - 9PM
Cellar Bar - Mondays - 9.30PM

I hope you will be able to find what you are looking for.

Thank you all for the replies, and the very good leads. I will follow up on these, and will report back here what I find.

Thank you again.

Hi Quinn,

Many thanks to Causeway Coast & Glens Visitor Centre and also Christoph for their help with this too!

Please do let us know how you get on with these ideas, it is always fascinating what out of the ordinary things happen all over the island of Ireland.

You have plenty of time until November to settle your itinerary, we would love to see the plans once you have put something together.

Regards,