A modern twist on an Irish tradition Seanoíche series finishes world tour in Mayo
Caoimhín Rowland
A resurgence of an ageless Irish tradition was brought to Westport last week, a unique event founded by Limerick native, Ciaran Gaffney Seanoíche (pronounced shanna-key-ha) is a night of story-telling which stopped off for a thrilling evening in Mayo.
The final event of the series that sold out shows across the globe, including Amsterdam, Australia and London, rounded off in Matt Molloy’s in Westport with notable names from literature, music and Mayo GAA in attendance.
This one-of-a-kind collaboration saw Guinness and Seanchoíche roll out a series of storytelling nights, featuring ordinary people telling extraordinary stories shared over a creamy pint.
Seamus Geraghty, Bar Manager at Matt Molloy’s said, “This is a very special collaboration between Guinness and Seanchoíce, and we are proud to support and be a part of this programme of events. Matt Molloy’s pub is a staple here for locals and visitors to our beloved town of Westport.”
The event comprised of storytellers standing up and speaking in front of an assembled crowd, who on the night, hung on every word in the back bar of world renowned Matt Molloy’s. Speakers varied, diversity of ages and backgrounds ranged wildly but with one theme uniting them all, “home”.
Storytellers spoke about what Home meant for them, from finding appreciation for Mayo after a misspent sojourn in Sicily teaching English, or fusing mythology with modern romantic encounters, each storyteller ultimately left an enraptured audience spellbound by the range of emotions and talent on show.
The walls of Matt Molloy’s pub are no strangers to a seanachaí or the odd winding yarn, yet it was the Seanoíche flair that made it special, it was fitting to find a partnership with Guinness.
Ciaran Gaffney remarked, “the idea for Seanoíche came about over a pint of the black stuff one night in 2021.” As host, Gaffney explained the mechanisms involved, each speaker would get 10 minutes and due to the demand from the local audience in Westport to speak, the event ran on into the late hours but crowd members left with a smile on their face.
“It is so inspiring to see people connecting through storytelling again” said Amber Brown, Senior Culture and Entertainment Manager at Diageo Ireland. “Bringing ordinary people together to tell their extraordinary stories over a pint in some of the most beautiful pubs of Ireland”
The event culminated its world tour in Westport last week after months of sold out shows but one thing is certain, people lucky enough to attend the simple but special event will be spreading the word of Seanoíche across the country for considerable time to come.