From the 31st October - November 30th, people will be able to have folklore on speed dial. Dial-a-Seanchaí is an initiative commissioned by the Clare Arts Office and supported by Creative Ireland as part of their Creative Communities programmes which allows members of the public to listen to curated Irish folklore stories and songs from six contemporary voices.

Each artist was invited to draw from the well of Irish mythology to present a piece of folklore that resonated with them. Each story and song has been interpreted and crafted by the selected artist to capture the imagination and reawaken our relationship to ancient myths in modern times.

A seanchaí is a traditional Irish storyteller- it literally translates as 'bearer of old-lore'.

The original dial- a seanchaí initiative was run by the Clare county council in the 1980s, The project was reintroduced inn 2021 by John Lillis, who expanded and re-developed the original format for a contemporary audience.

 

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With the rise of new age technology, it'd be easy to think that good old fashioned folklore would fall to the background. Not so, if anything, we love listening to podcasts and audio storytelling as much as ever.

The list of artists that have lent their voices to this project are Manchán Magan, Ruth Marshall, Junior Brother, Edwina Guckian, Branwen Kavanagh and Rónán Ó Snodaigh.

The Dial a Seanchaí service  will allow callers dial in as often as the like to hear all stories for the cost of a local call.

• To access the Dial A Seanchaí phoneline from Ireland, please dial (065) 672 3466
• To access the Dial A Seanchaí phoneline from the UK, please dial 020 8079 1720
• To access the Dial A Seanchaí phoneline from the US, please dial (833) 611-2230 (Toll Free)