Doolin Folklore Project and the Burren Storytelling Centre

Bringing the Stories of Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire Back to Life

Here you'll find the stories in written form, background information on the project and links to podcasts featuring local and experienced storytellers sharing these tales.

Read the stories →Watch and listen

Faoin tionscadal

About the project

Members from the Burren Storytelling Centre, Aindrias de Staic and Alysh Doyle have been working closely with the Doolin Folklore Project to bring the rich storytelling heritage of Doolin back to life. Alongside dedicated members of the local community, the project has spent several years revisiting the wonderful stories collected by Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire in Leabhar Stiofáin, helping to preserve, share and pass them on to a new generation.

1

Collected and translated

Years of collecting, transcribing and translating the stories into Irish.

2

Three free community workshops

With funding from the Heritage Council, members of the public were invited to learn the art of storytelling under the guidance and mentorship of Aindrias.

3

A night in Doolin

The workshops culminated in a special public performance at Doolin Community Centre, where participants brought these much-loved local stories back to life in front of their own community.

At its heart, this project was about reconnecting people with the stories of their place, giving them a voice and ensuring they continue to be told for generations to come.

Na scéalta

The stories, in Irish and English

Each story comes with the full text and a summary in both languages, plus a set of digital story cards.

10
King of the Cats
Rí na gCat
Stories of Wonderment
11
John of the Goats
Seán na nGabhar
Stories of Wonderment
16
The Black Dog with the Eight Legs
Madra Dubh na hOcht gCos
Romantic Tales
18
The Old Woman in the Chest
An Chailleach sa Chórha
Tales about Thieves and Tricksters
25
The Bald Man and his Wife
Fear na Plaite agus a Bhean
Humorous Tales and Anecdotes
78
A Rider on a Goat
Marcach ar Ghabhar
Fairy Legends
No items found.

Tuilleadh le léamh

The book and the storyteller

English interpretation

Interpretation of Leabhar Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire

The whole book in English, interpreted by the Doolin Folklore Group.

PDF · 315 pages

PDF coming soon

Life story

The Life of Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire

The life story of Stiofáin, known in English as Stephen Hillary.

PDF coming soon

Podchraoltaí

Hear the stories told aloud

Six episodes featuring the people, stories and storytelling traditions of Doolin. Listen to the series below, from the project's introduction to its final farewell.

Follow the series on Spotify ↗Apple Podcasts — coming soon

Watch the stories

The storytelling, on film

Video performances will be available here from the Doolin Folklore Project YouTube channel soon.

A project by

Doolin Folklore Project & Burren Storytelling Centre