Family Fun Day: Festival in a Van

An ice cream van for the arts, Festival in a Van is bringing live performance to the public square of Tallaght Library on Saturday 21 October, from 12pm  until 3.30pm.

Picture book enthusiasts and early readers are welcome to come along with their friends, parents, grandparents, and brothers and sisters for a day of family-friendly music, storytelling, and spoken word. Three 50-minute performances will take place throughout the day at 12pm, 1.30pm, and 3pm featuring stories from Jack Lynch and Seosamh Ó Maolalaí, music and words from Catherine Ann Cullen, and Ukrainian songs from Maryna Odolska This event is particularly suitable for audience members under 10 and the important grown-ups in their lives.

Catherine Ann Cullen is an award-winning poet, children’s writer and songwriter, and author of seven books, most recently The Song of Brigid’s Cloak (Beehive 2022), and a poetry broadsheet (2023). She was inaugural Poetry Ireland Poet in Residence 2019-22. She is an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow with Poetry Ireland and UCD.

Seosamh Ó Maolalaí is a storyteller and an aspiring seanchaí. He’s from Kilbarrack in Dublin originally. He started telling stories when he was working in the public library in Coolock in Dublin about forty years ago. He continued on from then telling to his own children and to school children and pre-school children. He tells stories in libraries and schools up and down the country. Seosamh tells in English and in Irish and bilingually. He just loves stories full of action and stories full of humour and fun. Seosamh has stories from Irish folklore and a lots of stories from places far and wide. He loves verses and rhymes and songs too. Seosamh has just the one aim when he’s telling stories to children. That is that they’ll enjoy themselves and have fun. And they do!

Is scéalaí agus ábhar seanchaí é Seosamh Ó Maolalaí. Is as Cill Barróg i mBaile Átha Cliath ó dhúchas dó. Thosnaigh sé ag insint scéalta agus é ag obair sa leabharlann phoiblí sa Chúlóg timpeall daichead bliain ó shin. Lean sé leis ag insint dá pháistí féin agus do dhaltaí scoile ó shin i leith. Insíonn sé scéalta i leabharlanna agus i scoileanna fud fad na tire. Insíonn Seosamh as Gaeilge agus as Béarla agus go dátheangach. Is breá le Seosamh scéalta lán aicsean agus scéalta lán grinn. Tá scéalta ó bhéaloideas na hÉireann ag Seosamh agus glac scéalta ó thailte i bhfad i gcéin. Is breá le Seosamh rannta agus amhráin chomh maith. Tá an t-aon sprioc amháin ag Seosamh agus é ag insint scéalta do pháistí. Is é sin go mbainfeadh siad sult agus spraoi astu. Agus baineann!

Maryna Odolska is a Ukrainian singer, who was named the Honored Artist of Ukraine in 2004. Amongst her many achievements, Maryna was awarded first place in the Pop Music category at the All-Ukrainian competition Chervona Ruta, along with receiving a special prize at the international competition Voice of Asia. Over the years she has received many awards and accolades, and since arriving in Ireland, she has performed regularly, particularly as part of Festival in a Van’s Shared Music Sessions.

Storyteller Jack Lynch tells to all ages - in schools, libraries, hospitals and prisons. He has represented the Irish tradition of folklore, myths and Wonder Tales at festivals throughout Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S.(most recently at the Smithsonian Institute Folklife Festival). He looks forward to being part of the Festival in a Van fun!