TIME FOR A STORY: Sneem storyteller Batt Burns, founder of the Sneem International Storytelling & Folklore Festival which takes place from tomorrow.

Storytellers from the UK and Ireland will gather over the coming days for the eighth annual Sneem International Storytelling & Folklore Festival, which takes place from November 8 -10.

Legendary singer/songwriter Jimmy Crowley, Fionn Foley in the award-winning one-man-play ‘Brendan Galileo For Europe’, The Story Swap Sessions and The Young Tellers Concert are just some of the delights planned.

This unique festival in the picturesque village of Sneem has become an established purveyor of the ancient art of yarn-spinning with the tradition being kept alive by young and old.

All featured tellers, including Northern Ireland’s Liz Weir, London-based Cork storyteller and author Kate Corkery, Tom Moore (Kerry), Paddy Regan (Cork) and festival founder Batt Burns are lining out at tomorrow night’s storytelling concert along with legendary songsmith Jimmy Crowley. Saturday night will see a double bill featuring Fionn Fagan’s 2018 Fringe Festival award-winning solo show ‘Brendan Galileo For Europe’ which will be preceded by Kate Corkery’s ‘Sweetshop on the Shore’.

Other festival highlights include a Young Tellers concert, featuring three Fleadh Cheoil na h-Eireann champions from the same family, lunchtime theatre – ‘An Enemy of the People’ by Henry Ibsen, a pub trail featuring Kerry’s Sonny Egan, folklore lectures, The Story Swap Sessions hosted by Killian Burns where amateur tellers get their chance and storytelling in an 18th century barn, making this festival weekend a gift for anyone who likes to be wowed by the power of words. The 15th Kerry Sneem Scouts Group will also host over 400 scouts from all over Kerry in Sneem to coincide with the festival.

“The spoken word is back with a bang which is reflected in the growing interest in our festival with tellers as young as 12 and more as old as the hills sharing stories,” founder and Sneem Seanchai Batt Burns said. “It’s great to see people from all walks of life making the trip to Sneem to enjoy our most ancient tradition. Our mission was always to provide a platform for people of all competencies to tell and it’s reassuring to see that, despite modern-day distractions, there is an enthusiastic listening audience out there.”

You can find the full programme on www.sneemstorytellingfestival.com.