YARN 2026: Is Maith An Scéalaí An Aimsir | Time Is A Good Storyteller - Bilingual Storytelling Workshop

YARN 2026: Is Maith An Scéalaí An Aimsir | Time Is A Good Storyteller - Bilingual Storytelling Workshop

About the event

Using Personal Stories and Traditional Tales for Creative Storytelling

Inspired by work Sinéad has done in her award winning shows No One is Coming and Hero/Banlaoch, the workshops aims to guide participants through weaving together personal and traditional stories for creative performance. Using various techniques and exercises, participants will learn how to present present a oral story, how to be emotional vulnerable on stage, how to approach sensitive material in a safe fashion, and how to combine personal and traditional tales in ways equal parts poignant, hilarious, and gut-wrenching.

If you were asked to tell a story, what would you tell? Would you talk of heroes, dragons, kings and queens? Or would you delve deeper, and reveal something about yourself? We all have our own story to tell, and while most of us do not go around slaying dragons, every story is worth the telling. Participants in Is Maith An Scéalaí An Aimsir | Time Is A Good Storyteller are asked to bring with them a personal story they want to tell and will be guided through the process pairing this story with a traditional tale, arming with the tools and skills needed perform both tales and to repeat the process in the future.

The workshop will last three hours, comprising of two 90 minute sections: the first section will see participants begin performing with short, traditional tales chosen from a pre-selected list, and a personal story to have been selected in advance of attendance. They will then be guided through pairing together one of the traditional tales with their personal narrative, with a focus on cohesion, contrast, and how the themes and motifs present in both tales can compliment each other and lead to a greater understanding of both tales. The second section will focus on presenting these stories in an authentic, open, and engaging fashion. Beginning with exercises around safely accessing emotional vulnerability while maintaining performance control, Naoise and Sinéad will help participants craft a short performance where they weave their selected personal and traditional tales into one cohesive telling.

Sinéad O'Brien is a theatre maker, storyteller & dramaturg. She is passionate about storytelling. Sinead believes that everyone has a story worth telling and is passionate about helping others find their voice. Her one woman show "No One Is Coming" had it's off-Broadway debut in 2025 & won BEST PLAY 2025 at the 1st Irish Theatre Festival New York. She is currently an Axis Assemble artist at the Axis Arts Centre Ballymun.

Naoise Ó Duinn is a storyteller, theatre maker, and workshop facilitator. Born and raised in Bray, Naoise has a deep interest in folklore and storytelling and the power that narratives have to change the world. He directed and produced 'An evening of 'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland' at Oscar Wilde House as part of the Bram Stoker Festival 2025. He is currently Head Storyteller and Education Officer with the National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland, where has has designed and implemented two workshop series as part of the European Union's Erasmus + program, designed to teach storytelling skills to youth and youth workers.

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