MCs

Liz Weir

N. Ireland

Liz Weir is a storyteller and writer from Northern Ireland. She has thirty years of storytelling experience and was the first winner of the International Storybridge Award for “exemplary work in promoting storytelling between Ireland and other countries”. Director of the Ulster Storytelling Festival. Featured teller at major festivals in Ireland, England, Scotland and in the United States. Featured teller at the Australian National Storytelling Festival, the Toronto Storytelling Festival, the National Storytelling Festival (USA) and festivals in many other countries including Russia, Monaco and Germany. Speaker at conferences including The Conference on World Affairs, Youth Libraries Group, School Library Association.

Paddy O’Brien

Ireland

Born in Co. Kerry, Paddy O’Brien is a natural storyteller who has appeared at Storytelling festivals all over Ireland. He has been a featured teller on many occasions at the world-famous Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival.

Paddy can entertain any audience from age 3 to 103 with his fantastic stories, songs and verse – told in his own inimitable way.

Rugadh Pádraig Ó Briain i gCo. Chiarraí. Is scéalaí nádúrtha é agus scéalta ínste aige ar fud na tíre seo go léir. Bhí sé go minic mar scéalaí ag an bhféile iomráiteach ar Oiléan Chléire. Tá sé ábalta scéalta a rá atá oiriúnach do ghach éinne ó aois 3 go 103. Baineann daoine fíor taitneamh as a scéalta, a dhánta agus a chuid amhráin – ínste ina shlí speisialta, spóirtiúil féin.

Simone Schuemmelfeder

Ireland/Germany

Simone is a storyteller and writer from Germany. She had planned to become a teacher, but her love for stories and adventure lured her away from school benches and into the life of a professional storyteller.

Born in the small town of Beverungen in rural Germany, Simone grew up surrounded by stories. Her hometown is close to the Fairy Tale Road which runs all through Germany and connects the settings of various Grimm fairy tales. In 2011, Simone moved to Ireland where she founded the storytelling theatre StoryGate (www.storygate.net) together with Irish teller and puppeteer Michael Phelan.

She has performed extensively across Ireland, enchanting both adults and children alike, in libraries, schools and at festivals, including the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival, the Kilkenny Arts Festival and the Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival. Simone also was Reader-In-Residence for Laois Libraries in 2018 and Artist-In-Primary-Schools for Tipperary Arts Office in 2019 and 2022. She is part of Poetry Ireland’s Writers In Schools Scheme and writes children’s books. Her writing is represented by literary agent Marianne Gunn O’Connor.

Órla Mc Govern

Ireland

Órla Mc Govern is a Storyteller, Performer and Writer based in The West of Ireland. She is the artistic director of the Moth & Butterfly collective; a storytelling & improvisation project that hosts monthly events and an annual festival.

As a playwright, her work has travelled the world and a couple of highlight moments include performances at Origin First Irish NYC (‘Kitchen’), Cúirt/Fregoli, Galway (‘Tick Tock’ & ‘Wristbands’) and 24 hour plays Abbey Theatre/DYT (‘Lyubov’ Eto Tsirk’). She performs as an actor in scripted and improvised theatre, film and tv. She regularly facilitates workshops in improvised theatre, storytelling and creative practices, and is a member of Poetry Ireland’s ‘Writers In Schools’.

Órla has written two storytelling books, published by The History Press: ‘Dublin Folk Tales For Children’, and ‘Wild Waves And Wishing Wells’. In 2022 she was commissioned via Interface Inagh and The Arts Council to make a site specific storytelling piece set in the mountains of Connemara. She is a member of Storytellers of Ireland & Theatre 57.

For more visit www.orlamcgovern.com

Gerry Clancy

Ireland

Gerry Clancy is a member of Storytellers of Ireland, and the Dublin based storytelling group “Story-O”. A regular contributor to Cork and Dublin Yarn Spinners. He was featured on the Dublin Yarnspinners CD “15 Years of Dublin Yarnspinners” which was released in 2011. Gerry is a visual artist and professional consultant for the arts industry. As an artist his work has featured in a number of exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Gerry has also been a Co-Director Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival from 2012 to 2016.