Arts Week with Judy Murphy

“Stories and events to suit every palate,” will be on the menu for the fifth annual Moth & Butterfly International Festival of Storytelling & Improvisation which will take place from Thursday, January 30, to Sunday February 3, in venues in the city and county.

The theme of this year’s festival, which runs over Brigit’s Weekend, is Horizons, and the event’s Artistic Director, Órla Mc Govern of Moth & Butterfly explains that group will be collaborating with other local arts groups, including Arts in Action at the University of Galway, the Tonnta Irish Language Festival,  Galway City Museum, the Athenry Heritage Centre and Blue Teapot Theatre Company. Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop will also host a range of events, as will venues in the city’s Westend.

Horizons kicks off on Thursday, January 30, with Two Truths of Thomas the Rhymer at the University of Galway’s O’Donoghue Theatre. From Daniel Serridge of The Village Storytelling Centre in Glasgow, its themes include the contemporary relationship between Scotland and England.

The  official Festival launch will be at The Blue Note pub on William Street West at 5pm, and Thursday will also see the opening of the Story Trail around the cafes and pubs of Galway’s Westend. That will run over the weekend, allowing people to enjoy an audio story (paired with a drink) at their leisure.

Embracing Place: A Conversation is an online recording that will discuss the connection between stories and place. This will feature author and ecologist Anja Murray; digital creator and history enthusiast Jane Casey, and Órla Mc Govern. It will be available to watch throughout the weekend. Other guests from overseas include Crocodile Paws from Helsinki and renowned British-Indian storyteller Peter Chand, who will present a solo show, Mangoes on the Beach, that weaves traditional Indian tales with his own family’s stories of immigration.

Pictured: Peter Chand’s show Mangoes on the Beach is a tribute to  people from the Punjab region of India who emigrated to  Britain in the 1950s. Photos: Alborz Sahabdivani.