By Michelle Crean

A Killarney-based children’s writer has let her imagination flourish so much so that she hopes her work will inspire the next generation of storytellers.

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Olivia Hope from Children’s Books Ireland has created a thought provoking Halloween  exhibition  which will run at Siamsa Tíre from September 23 to November 21 as part of a planned Samhain festival in partnership with Kerry County Museum.

Olivia’s story 'A Way Home/Slí Abhaile' is now the inspiration for a major art exhibition for children. She has collaborated with 20 illustrators and artists from all over Ireland and beyond who have brought the scenes from her story to life.

Combining imaginative illustrations and ancient folklore with a modern-day fairytale, this is an experience for all the family.

Two siblings get lost in the woods.  There they meet a mysterious traveller and embark on an adventure that sees them encountering a cheeky púca, some lost souls, and a choir of banshees.

There will be 46 artworks in total, displayed in the gallery at the eye level of the target audience, gradually moving up from floor work for babies to adult height by the end of the story.

Local names included in their ranks are Ciara Kenny (the Twitter personality known as @Ciarraioch, whose image of Peig can be seen on a utility box in Tralee); the Kerry-born internationally acclaimed photorealist painter Tony O’Connor; and author and illustrator Sheena Dempsey whose parents were born in the Kingdom.

Olivia is amazed by the different ways in which the illustrators interpreted her story and hopes their art will inspire the old tradition of story-telling in the young.

“A picture does paint a thousand words, so young visitors will be able to tell their own version of my story 'A Way Home/Slí Abhaile' when they visit this art exhibition,” she said. “I’m delighted that such an array of talented illustrators is involved because their art is both original and thought-provoking, and is sure to inspire the next generation of storytellers.”

Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, is thrilled that her decision to introduce Olivia to Siamsa Tíre has resulted in such an exciting exhibition.

“This exhibition brings together the talents of illustrators in Ireland and Irish illustrators abroad with Olivia Hope’s timeless writing to create a rich experience for children,” she said.  “'A Way Home' marries a new story that is rooted in ancient traditions with such varied and vibrant art. Siamsa Tíre’s audiences are in for a treat.”