SHARING STORIES FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Five decades of building community through storytelling in Northern Ireland
For close to five decades I have travelled across five continents and both hemispheres collecting stories, developing storytelling programmes, writing, teaching, telling stories, and, most importantly, bringing people together from all backgrounds and walks of life.
PHD PORTFOLIO EXHIBIT
This website has been created as part of my doctoral work at the University of South Wales to display my lifetime of work in storytelling and to show the three areas of work which will form the PhD portfolio.
CONFLICT AND RECONCILIATION
What has been the impact of my work as a storyteller in Northern Ireland around building cross-community understanding and reconciliation, both during the Troubles and in the years following the Good Friday Accord? Specifically, how has storytelling been used as a reconciliation tool for both perpetrators and victims of violence? And how has storytelling been used to help children understand and express the effect of family incarceration on their lives?
BRIDGING GENERATIONS
How can storytelling bridge the gaps between different generations and ability-levels, and help promote mutual respect and understanding? How can storytelling and reminiscence work provoke memories and stimulate cognitive well-being in those living with dementia? How does storytelling help people living with dementia go from “feeling needy” to “feeling needed”?
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
How has my storytelling career been shaped by the cultural, social and political landscape in Northern Ireland over the past fifty years? How has my work with storytelling strengthened cross-community links? In what ways has my work increased the profile of Irish storytelling, and through this, helped to extend the tradition not only at home but also internationally? How have international links been formed and what sort of new cultural exchanges have been facilitated, particularly during the pandemic?
