The traditional art of Storytelling is well established and thriving in County Wexford. The public library service delivers storytelling to libraries, schools and day care centres on a programmed basis.

Community storytelling occurs weekly in one of four venues throughout the county. The schedule for the community storytelling houses is as follows:

Ár mBreacha House of Stories, Ballyduff - on the first Tuesday of each month. Contact Connie Rooney, Tel: 00 353 54-83256.

Bygone Days, Oulart - on the second Monday of each month. Contact Monica May, Tel: 00 353 53-36236.

Fr. Murphy Heritage Centre, Boolavogue - on the third Thursday of each month. Contact Lar O'Brien, Tel: 00 353 54-33636.

Bunclody Storytelling House (St. Aidan's Hall) Irish Street - on the fourth Thursday of each month from September to May inclusive. Contact Máirín Kehoe, Tel: 00 353 54-76088.

Below is the schedule for the Summer Storytelling sessions in the Houses for 2005.

Commences 8.00 pm

January

Tuesday 4th Ár mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 10th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Thursday 20th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Thursday 27th Saint Aidan's Parish Hall, Bunclody, Co Wexford

Opening Soon Kyle Forge, Crossabeg, Co Wexford. (053-28957) Bob Lambert

February

Tuesday 1st Ár mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 14th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Thursday 17th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Thursday 24th Saint Aidan's Parish Hall, Bunclody, Co Wexford

March

Tuesday 1st Ár mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 14th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Thursday 17th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Thursday 31st Saint Aidan's Parish Hall, Bunclody, Co Wexford

April

Tuesday 5th Ár mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 11th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Thursday 21st The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Thursday 28th Saint Aidan's Parish Hall, Bunclody, Co Wexford

MAY

Tuesday 3rd Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 9th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Thursday 19th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford|

JUNE

Tuesday 7th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 13th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Thursday 16th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Sunday 26th Announcing the opening: The Forge, Crossabeg, Co Wexford

JULY

Tuesday 5th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Sunday 10th The Forge, Crossabeg, Co Wexford

Monday 11th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Tuesday 12th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camofin, Co Wexford

Thursday 14th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Tuesday 19th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Tuesday 26th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Balfyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Thursday 28th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Sunday 31st The Forge, Crossabeg, Co Wexfordi

AUGUST

Tuesday 2nd Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Monday 8th The Bygone Days Group, Lower Street, Oulart, Co Wexford

Tuesday 9th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Thursday 11th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Sunday 14th The Forge, Crossabeg, Co Wexford

Tuesday 16th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Tuesday 23rd Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

Thursday 25th The Fr Murphy Centre, Boolavogue, Co Wexford

Tuesday 30th Ar mBreacha, House of Stories, Ballyduff, Camolin, Co Wexford

For further information contact Yvonne Smtth 053-24922

County Wexford Storytelling Network was set up in 2000 to sustain and develop storytelling in County Wexford. It is the umbrella organization for community storytelling houses and other interested groups and agencies.

The County Wexford Storytelling Network seeks to:

• build up the expertise of local storytellers by encouraging them to perform locally, and by providing training opportunities for amateur storytellers and other enthusiasts

• engage in research, collect and record local stories, and extend the availability of and access to suitable research and reading materials.

• encourage storytelling countywide to expose people to a variety of styles and to grow both audiences and participants

• support the existing storyhouses and support the development of new centres if appropriate.

• host the Stories from the Hearth and Bunclody and West County Wexford Storytelling Festival every October / November

• co-ordinate and distribute the schedule of storytelling venues and dates county-wide. (quarterly)

Committee members are: Fr. Jim Finn, Fionnuala Hanrahan (Convenor), Máirin Kehoe (Honorary Secretary), Lar O'Brien, Yvonne Smyth.

The County Wexford Storytelling Network is supported by Wexford County Council Public Library Service and the Wexford Organisation for Rural Development.

Wexford County Council Public Library Service, HQ., Ardcavan, Co. Wexford, Republic of Ireland, tel: 00 353 53 24922 Fax: 00 353 53 21097. Email: libraryhq@wexfordcoco.ie

Stories from the Hearth 2003

Now in its fifth year, Stories From The Hearth continues to grow in popularity. The festival incorporates the Wexford Children's Book Festival and the Loch Garman Storytelling Festival. This year's programme of events had something for everyone, events were free to attend and were open to all members of the community.

From the 16th of October through to the 22nd of November 2003, libraries, mobile libraries, day care centres, storytelling houses and primary schools were centres for literary entertainment, culminating in the Loch Garman Storytelling Festival. Included in this year's line-up were some firm favourites such as Pat Speight, Joe Brennan, Toby Kinsella, Frances Quinn, & Jack Lynch.

The autumn Storytelling Sessions uses the medium of stories - both books to read and collected tales to tell - to highlight, nurture and cultivate important aspects of County Wexford's local cultural development. Wexford's Storytelling Houses meet regularly and new members are always welcome to join in or just listen to the feast of tales being told. This year the "Stories from the Hearth" Storytelling Festival is due to take place on 25th -27th November 2004.

If you are a storyteller and plan to visit Ireland in the near future or are interested in taking part in our Storytelling Festival, please do not hesitate to contact me with your details: Yvonnesmyth@wexfordcoco.ie