Comeraghs Wild Festival explores Wales and Ireland link

The inaugural Comeraghs Wild Festival takes place in County Waterford as part of the Gathering. The three-day festival (Sept 19-23) includes guided walks, adventure trails, historical re-enactment, educational talks, storytelling and film.

The historic links between Wales and Waterford’s copper coast will be acknowledged through workshops, performance poetry and story-telling. The ‘young people’s poet laureate for Wales,’ Martin Daws, will read, as will teenage author, Lucy Christopher and storyteller, Fiona Collins, who are Wales-based.

Award-winning short story writer, Claire Keegan, will read from her work; traditional storyteller Niall de Burca will perform. Poet, Mark Roper, born in England and living in Kilkenny, will also read.

Collins, born in Hampshire to a Welsh mother, lives in Denbighshire. She has been a professional storyteller since 1994. She started her career as a teacher in London.

While doing a masters degree on language, the arts and education, at Sussex University, Collins had a tutor who was interested in storytelling.

“He encouraged me to look at the theory of storytelling, both sociological and feminist, as well as the psychoanalytic ideas behind it,” says Collins.

Contrary to the stereotype of girls as passive, “there have always been stories with strong female characters in tales of goddesses.” Collins cites the Russian story of the little girl, Vasilissa, who has a wicked stepmother, but is guided by the spirit of her dead mother.

Collins will highlight stories that link Wales and Ireland. “There are lot of links, particularly in the Welsh stories of the Mabinogion, a collection of 12 stories that includes King Arthur stories. There are connections between Lugh of the Silver Hand and his Welsh counterpart, Llew.” Lugh, an Irish hero, and Llew are both linked to words for ‘light’ and ‘lion.’ Collins will tell a story from the Mabinogion, “which is about a great copper cauldron that belongs to the King of Wales. He gives it as a gift to the King of Ireland.” In telling the story of how the cauldron came to be in Wales, the story describes two giants who travelled to Wales from Ireland by walking the sea bed.

Like Ireland, Wales has a strong tradition of storytelling, says Collins.

“The ‘high tales’ would have been told by court storytellers. There is also a very lively tradition that still goes on today. It’s called ‘The Merry Evening’, where people tell funny stories about people they know. They also tell tall stories.”

There are a number of storytelling festivals in Wales. Collins is ‘perfecting’ her Welsh to relate stories in that language. “I love what I do. It’s very varied. For the last couple of months, I’ve been working at a local hospital, telling stories to, and collecting stories from, people who are having dialysis treatment. I also run a story club for children.”

Collins contributes to BBC Radio 4. She connects people to their environment through story-making. “I’m looking forward to the Comeraghs Wild Festival. It sounds like there’ll be lots of communities coming together.

“I’ll be going into local schools. At the Geopark (in Bunmahon, Co Waterford), I’ll be telling stories for the adult programme. I’m also going to be reading at a hog roast.”

www.comeraghswild.com.