May the Road Rise to Meet You- Saturday Main Concert
Take on The Hill and join us for our the main concert of the day!
An early evening celebration of storytelling and music, hosted by the welcoming Bean a’ Tí, Liz Weir.
The concert features Amy Douglas, a vibrant and award-winning storyteller, a key figure in the British storytelling movement, renowned for bringing her wit and subtle humour to traditional tales;
Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, whose energetic and playful style brings vivid folktales and myths of Finland and other Nordic lands to life;
Peter Chand, a renowned dynamic teller whose powerful performances weave tales of life, love and the supernatural with inspiration from his Punjabi heritage;
Aideen McBride from Carlow, sharing authentic traditional stories in English and Irish connected to communities around Ireland;
and music and song from Kevin Doherty, an accomplished Donegal songwriter and performer known for his beautifully crafted heartfelt and witty compositions.
Together, they offer a memorable celebration of the roads travelled, the people met along the way and the experiences that connect us.
This event includes a 15 minute interval. It will be hosted in Colaiste Phobail, a lovely hall on the east side of the island, approximately a 30-40min walk from the Ferry harbour. Take your time to enjoy the walk (…and bring some water to drink).
Age suitability: 14 years+
Bean A’ Tí Simone Schümmelfeder
Ticket Tip: This is a ticketed event. We strongly recommend booking online in advance, as only a limited number of tickets will be available on the door. Ticket holders receive priority entry. Please arrive 15 minutes before the event starts. Due to limited venue sizes, our island location, and possible waiting lists, late arrivals may have their places offered to another waiting guest.
Ferry Tip: Daytime ferries from Baltimore will get you to Cape Clear in time to enjoy other festival events before this performance. The 5pm ferry from Baltimore (arriving approx. 5.45pm), is also recommended. A later 7pm ferry from Baltimore (arriving approx. 7.45pm) is available but passengers choosing this option should be aware that it leaves very little time to reach the venue before the event begins and will require taking the island taxi from the pier. Ferry spaces are limited, so advance booking is advised. Pre-booked tickets must be collected from the ferry office on Baltimore pier before boarding. See Cape Clear Ferries for timetables and booking.For those not staying on the island- the last evening ferry is leaving Cape Clear pier at 6pm and arriving in Baltimore at around 6.45pm. Please note that ferry seats are limited, book in advance to ensure you get yours! A physical copy of your prebooked tickets will still need to be collected at the ferry office on the pier before queuing to board https://www.capeclearferries.com/timetables/
Artists
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Simone SchümmelfederMCSimone is a storyteller, writer and teacher from Germany. In 2006 she started to work as a storyteller and also published her first children’s book together with her twin sister Silke.
In 2011, with the Irish storyteller Michael Phelan, she founded StoryGate and performs in schools, libraries and on festivals. She also works closely with the Goethe-Institute in Dublin and combines storytelling with language teaching.
Simone is an active member of the international storytelling ensemble Story-O and takes part in their vibrant and imaginative performances. She has been a teller at Cape Clear over the years.
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Amy DouglasAward-winning author and storyteller, Amy Douglas has been integral within the modern British storytelling landscape as performer, promoter and advocate for the past three decades. She was a founder member of the international Festival at the Edge, served two years as a Director for the Society for Storytelling and is now part of Step Up, running commissions and mentoring to support wordsmiths take the next step in the careers.
Her three folk tale collections have all received Storytelling World Awards. After winning Young Storyteller of the Year at 16, Amy Douglas apprenticed to world-renowned traditional Scots Traveller storyteller and ballad-singer, Duncan Williamson, and now holds many of his stories and ballads in trust.
A storyteller of integrity, wit and subtle humour, Amy is a pioneer for taking storytelling into new arenas and formats, including recent projects in VR and blended performance. She currently runs BLAST! storytelling performances and the first online storytelling talk show of its kind, Taking the Tradition On. Amy has 30 years of experience telling stories to all ages, from one-off performances, to leading projects spanning several years. Amy works extensively in education, particularly in Wales as a Creative Agent and mentor for teachers within the Creative Leadership Scheme.
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Sarah Liisa WilkinsonSarah Liisa Wilkinson is a storyteller who delights audiences with her always engaging, energetic and playful performance style. She has a particular interest in the folktales and myths of Finland and other Nordic lands, but loves to tell tales from all around the world.
Drawing on her English-Finnish heritage, Sarah creates performances full of vivid imagery, humour and emotional depth, bringing ancient stories thrillingly to life for contemporary audiences. She has told stories to people in the UK and internationally in theatres, festivals, clubs, pubs, churches, boats, front rooms and all-night sleepovers, including appearances at venues and festivals such as the British Library, Kings Place and Oxford Storytelling Festival.
She regularly works and performs with performance-storytelling pioneers, The Crick Crack Club, and is part of multi-disciplined storytelling and music group, The Embers Collective.
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Peter ChandWith a deep understanding of story and narrative Peter Chand he is a powerful and dynamic storyteller who sees storytelling as a means of connecting, entertaining and as a call to social action.
He has shared his tales across Britain and has also performed in Norway, France, USA, Lithuania, Austria, Canada, and Singapore amongst other countries.
Peter is also a trainer of high repute, leading workshops with teachers, librarians, budding storytellers, university students, business leaders, health professionals, and anyone trying to find their voice and gain confidence when performing in public.
He is one of Europe’s most renowned storytellers and is constantly in demand for his tales of life, love, and the supernatural. From a Punjabi background, he regularly visits family in Inda to collect and translate traditional folktales which he shares with audiences of all ages.
Peter is proud to have been recently awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Wolverhampton for his Storytelling activities and for championing storytellers from a global majority heritage.
“This is like an audience with Paulo Coelho! Storytelling is divine”. Kemi B. Litera London
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Aideen Mc BrideAideen McBride was born in County Carlow. She heard her first stories from her father, Jack Sheehan as a child. She has been telling stories professionally since 1995: in libraries, schools, nursing homes and at festivals both through the medium of English and as Gaeilge. Aideen also gives workshops to all ages in oral storytelling, story-making (sometimes connected to creative writing), and storytelling in education.
She has worked on a number of story collections: Memories from the Grassy Margins (2006) with Traveller Women from Carlow Town; International Tales – a collections of stories from refugees and asylum seekers working with SPIRASI in Dublin; Carlow Stories (2014) collected through the libraries in County Carlow. Publications include: Carlow Folk Tales (History Press 2014); Tipperary Folk Tales (History Press 2016); and Scéalta ón mBíobla do Pháistí (FAS 2020).
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Kevin DohertyKevin Doherty has been writing and performing his music for almost forty years. Starting out in Country and Bluegrass bands in Donegal, Kevin provided original compositions to accompany the classics of those genres. From this grounding he was taken up by the members of the fledgling group Four Men and a Dog. And became lead singer and songwriter. ‘The Dogs’ still travel the globe performing to audiences that now bridge several generation gaps!
Kevin has also released four solo albums and two collaborative projects. His songs have been covered by many artists including legends ‘The Band’ in the States and Mary Black in Ireland. Kevin has worked on projects with the Smithsonian in Washington DC and Poetry Ireland and the Abbey Theatre in Ireland. He had more recently stepped back from music to an extent as he completed a PhD on childhood memory in the poetry of Seamus Heaney but there will be new music to come in 2026.
