‘Stories are important ...they are what we are’: Cork storytellers helping to keep tales alive 

“When a person passes, a library closes – a library of stories,” says John Keating.

Ensuring that stories are kept alive, John, the tutor on a writing course at the Lantern Project, Nano Nagle Place, is proud of the book produced by the course participants, all first time writers, with illustrations by artist William Crowley.

Entitled I Am A Storyteller, the book, a celebration of community voices and personal journeys, was launched recently at St Peter’s on North Main Street. An accompanying exhibition took place in Cork in recent weeks.

Among the stories featured in the book is one entitled Evening Echo Boys by retired circulation manager at the Irish Examiner/Echo, Dan O’Leary.

The cover of the book is a portrait of the legendary street newspaper vendor, the late Michael O’Regan, who sold papers for over 50 years on Patrick’s Street and Princes Street.

Today, there is only one Echo boy selling papers in the city, Dave Hogan, who pitches up outside the GPO.

The Echo boys, known for their chant of ‘Echo, Evening Echooo’ were an integral part of the cityscape and it is fitting that I Am A Storyteller honours them.

Other stories include I Was Home, by Joanne McCarthy, which tells the story of how a timid schoolgirl finds her singing voice thanks to the encouragement of a nun teacher. A poignant story, My Darling Son, by Anna Marie O’Shea, deals with the tragic death of her nine year-old son that is very much alive in family memory.

John Keating’s own story is one of tragedy too, but he has created a new life for himself since the death of his wife, Breda, from cancer at just 43 years in 2005.

With two children, Leah and Sean, then aged ten and nine respectively, John spent the following two years at home, having closed down the entertainment company he ran with his wife.

A friend suggested that in order to get back into the world, he should join the Toastmasters club in Bishopstown where John lives.

While the club “was fabulously supportive,” going out to it at night didn’t suit John. However, with the then new Bishopstown Library having opened its doors, John set up a Toastmasters Club there in 2009, which meets on Saturday morning and is still going strong.

“I was able to leave the kids downstairs in the library and run Toastmasters upstairs,” says John. “About 20 people attend every week. Today, it has a very international mix of Indians, Chinese, Polish people, Turkish people, Sri Lankans and Irish.”

As a spin-off of his involvement with Toastmasters, John now has a company, Well Said Communications, which runs clubs in the workplace with the emphasis on helping people become at ease with public speaking.

He also trains people to make presentations and do interviews – and he offers advice on writing and delivering eulogies at funerals, and speeches at weddings.

About three years ago, John was listening to 96fm when his attention was grabbed by the mention of a theatre group being set up by the Lantern Project.

“They were looking for people to join, so I thought ‘why not?’”

John had great fun, helping to write a script for a short play that was performed in association with the Everyman Theatre.

“Ultimately, it took me out of my comfort zone,” he says.

John went on to do a Theatre Making and Citizenship course at the Lantern Project.

“The whole ethos of the Lantern Project is to be welcoming and supportive. I approached them about doing a storytelling course.”

As Karina Healy, Lantern co-ordinator and community development worker, says: “We had had writing groups. But we really wanted to meet people with maybe less of an interest in the writing aspect and more interest in telling their stories. John was the man to bring the two together.

“It is writing, but with an emphasis on speaking and presenting.”

There have been a number of ‘I Am A Storyteller’ courses. Johns starts by telling the participants a bit about his own story. He then gives them a prompt such as writing about a childhood memory.

“Everybody gives each other feedback. They make suggestions and look at the stories from a different perspective. There’s no right or wrong. It’s always supportive.”

Karina says that everyone comes out of the storytelling session “feeling in some way elevated. That’s the whole ethos of all the community education courses that we run.”

John says that one word that comes up in all the classes is ‘safe’.

“People say it’s a safe place. For me, it’s about safety first and then respect and fun.”

He adds that what is “amazing is the quality of the writing. There are stories in the book about love, life and legacy.”

The Bon Secours mission contributed funding towards the book. It cost about €4,500 to print it. Nano Nagle Place also came on board.

Of the 11 contributors, just three are men, women making better ‘joiners’ - “but we have a men’s group at Nano Nagle Place which is a popular psychosocial group that is welcoming and inclusive,” says Karina.

John believes that we all have stories to tell.

“Stories are important because they’re essentially what we are. I would say to people to start thinking about their own stories for future generations.”

I Am A Storyteller costs €10 and is on sale at the Nano Nagle Place shop.

Any money made from it will go towards the next storytelling group’s book developed at the community space.