Cuairdíocht - Ancestral Storytelling Ceremony

In the Celtic calendar, Samhain is a time for honouring those who have gone before us, when the veils of the world are thinnest and the ancestors come close to blend their love and wisdom.

Paddy Doyle, poet and storyteller, will create a sacred space in which participants are invited to light a candle and say the name of a loved one who has passed on, or to share a story, poem or song in their memory. 

Paddy will share his own memories of Cuardiocht, having grown up in a traditional 'open house' where people came to cuairdiocht, to while away dark winter nights and keep the heartfire burning from age to age.

Cuardiocht (night visiting) is one of our ancestral traditions, the practice of taking the time to spend time with friends and neighbours, to talk about the weather and the times, tell stories, sing songs, tend the hearthfire, drink from the cauldron of community. It is the cornerstone of our cultural inheritance, the ground on which all of our traditions stand. A place of welcome, for friend or stranger, where the door was always open and the kettle was always on the hob. So we will hold a Cuardiocht, in honour of our ancestors, and in honour of the values they held so dear - hospitality, openness, inclusion - so dear, they were enshrined in Brehon law.

There will be a complimentary glass of warm elderberry tonic for everyone. 

You are welcome to come to simply listen or to share your memory.

Places limited – booking essential.

Paddy Doyle is a poet, storyteller and creative facilitator, originally from Kilkenny, but now based in Cork. He has collaborated with artists, musicians and dancers, and has performed at festivals all over Ireland. He is currently working with a number of communities, helping them to articulate their individual and communal stories, and to perform these stories in a public setting.