Date:Saturday, November 7, 2009
Time:8:00pm - 10:30pm
Location:Gower Street United Church Hall, Queen's Road
Hosted by Fergus O'Byrne, an evening of tales from tellers, Mike Burns,
Mary-Eileen McClear and Katherine Grier.
Cost $10
Fergus O'Byrne
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Fergus O'Byrne emigrated to Canada in 1967. While
living in Toronto he became a founding member of the Irish folk band Ryan's
Fancy. In 1971 the group moved to St. John's, Newfoundland. During the next
fourteen years, Fergus toured extensively throughout North America and
Ireland as part of the trio. In the years since, Fergus has been an integral
part of the traditional music scene in St. John's, performing with the late
Dermot O'Reilly, Tickle Harbour, A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, and long-time
collaborator, Jim Payne.
Mike Burns
Funny, magical, and mysterious, Michael Burns is an Irish storyteller and
aikido master living in Montreal who tells stories in Gaelic, French and
English. He has been telling stories he originally heard from his father for
over 40 years. Mike has a repertoire of several hundred traditional stories
from the lore of Iveragh (South Kerry, Ireland) and gives concerts regularly
at festivals across Canada and abroad. He co-founded the Regroupement Du
Conte au Québec (RCQ) in 2003, and has been twice awarded the Girouette
Cuivrée, which is given to outstanding individuals who have made
storytelling shine in Quebec and abroad.
Mary-Eileen McClear
Storyteller Mary-Eileen McClear may live in Ontario, but her stories carry
her, and her listeners, across Canada and around the world. She is the
founder of The Story Barn, a centre which promotes storytelling through
courses and events and which is now in its twenty-second year. Whether she
is telling stories or leading workshops, Mary-Eileen has an engaging way
with people, "a captivating sense of humour with an intriguing touch of
magic." She is the recipient of local arts awards and of the Governor
General's Canada 125 medal for contributing to the cultural life of her
community.
Katherine Grier
Katherine Grier is delighted to be returning to St. John's (where she lived
for 10 years) after 8 years back in Ontario. She has been telling stories
formally since the early 1980s - in schools and through the Parent-Child
Mother Goose Program (which she helped co-found), as well as in libraries
and at festivals and concert venues. She retains a deep interest in how
stories affirm and allow us to explore our own experience.
