STORYTELLING  IN AN AGE OF DISTRACTION.

 

THEME - STORYTELLING AS A TOOL OF EDUCATION. 

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Niall de Búrca is a storyteller with 30 years experience on six continents. He is renowned for his storytelling in education for audiences from Early Years to Third Level. 

In this relaxed three stage workshop participants will gain confidence to unleash their inner storytelling Ninja! 

Niall will pass on advice on performing techniques and will share skills on the use of space, body and voice. 

Participants will learn methods to develop their own unique style. The group will explore links between diverse cultural traditions and receive tips on creating original tales plus ways to bring traditional folktales to life in the 21st century. 

Other topics include storytelling for EAL students and using traditional storytelling in TOK class.

            

The Facilitator.

 

Niall was raised in the west of Ireland and emigrated at a young age. He eventually he settled in the Whanganui River region of New Zealand where he married into a large Maori family. His performance career took off in NZ when he was asked to perform his stories at Festivals. This lead to him being invited to provide programmes for Museums and Art Galleries. As well as traditional storytelling these included performances based on the works of Max Ernst and kinetic sculptor Lyn Lye for the Govett Brewster in New Plymouth.

 

Niall returned to live in Ireland after 17 years as an emigrant. Currently he is based in Dublin. His ability to articulate observations of the modern human condition and transplant them among universal themes creates a dynamic platform for the audience to identify, imagine and embody the narrative. His delivery is an energetic, emotive and visceral experience.

 

Niall has performed on many occasions at Ireland’s National Museum of Antiquities, The National Library Of Ireland; the National Folk Life Museum and the President of Irelands residence in Dublin. He has directed "Blackwater Storystream, a peace project that brought together fifty schools in the Irish border counties.

 

Niall has produced CD collections including two of youngsters performing traditional rhymes and stories. In 2006 he was Irelands performer for Fairytales Before Take Off. This combined EU Cultural Institutions project toured tradtional performers from 10 nations across the EU to promote linguisitc diversity in Europe. 

In 2007 Niall performed in the European Parliament in Brussels to celebrate Gaelic becoming an official language of the EU. A featured storyteller in theatre, prisons and at festivals in countries as diverse as Iran, South Africa and Argentina; on four occasions he has toured for the University of Hawai’i performing throughout the Hawai’ian  islands.

 

Niall has featured twice at the Hans Christian Andersen Centre in Odense Denmark and at Kronberg Castle where Shakespeare set Hamlet. In 2015 he performed aboard the Sea Stallion at Roskilde Viking Ship Museum. This is an exact replica of a dragon ship built in Dublin 1000 years ago.

 

He has also performed voiceover on abridged digital editions of many classic stories including CS Lewis’ Narnia; Ronald Dahl’s Danny The Champion of The World and Holes by Louis Sacher. 

 

In Winter 2018 -2019 he explored similarities between the Gaelic and Polynesian Hero traditions with a tour through Samoa and Aotearoa New Zealand. Sample theatre shows for teenagers include “Where The Poppies Grow” and “Sophie’s Tale’ the story of The White Rose resistance movement. The latter was developed in response to the rise of the far right in recent years.

 

In 2020 Niall was awarded a traditional arts bursary to develop and tour Wild Atlantic Tales. The project celebrates Atlantic coast storytellers from previous generations. After covid lockdown it toured venues along the coast from Kerry to Derry and beyond. In 2024 Niall performed and engaged with storytellers and theatre makers in Nigeria and Ghana. Between January and June 2025 he worked with children of all ages in 11 different nations. His credo is the ancient Gaelic proverb "Níor bhris focal maith fiacal riamh…A good word never broke a tooth"

 

 

“His ability to evoke a wide range of emotions from his rapt audiences enables him to bewitch people with his stories and make listening to him as well as watching him an unforgettable experience ”

Vienna Review of Books.