Every September, over a thousand visitors flock to a small Gaeltacht island off the coast of Cork. Cape Clear, which is home to just over a hundred permanent residents, is held in international renown for its annual storytelling festival, which draws crowds from across the globe.
"We’re very integrated with the island," said Aoife Demel, committee member of the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival / Féile Scéalíochta Chléire.
"We have great support from the people on the island with regards to venues, lending us cars, helping and supporting with the festival.
"We involve island storytellers and stories from Cape Clear Island in as much as possible."
In line with this, a dedicated Irish language event is always featured on the programme, and Irish is integrated into all festival activities.
"There’s a huge, huge grá for Irish storytelling across the world," Aoife explained.
"It is a gift that Irish storytellers excel at. I know there are courses around Europe - you can do a Masters, for example, in oral storytelling.
"But if you were to have that person perform, they may not have that natural ‘gift of the gab’ that a lot of Irish people have."
However, festivals can’t survive on love alone, and funding smaller festivals can be particularly challenging. According to Aoife, state funding and support are integral to the survival of the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival.
"Our venues are at capacity; there’s only so many people we can accommodate on the island at events and we’re trying to keep it affordable and accessible," she said.
"It is not about making money. It is about supporting our traditional arts and our islands; about bringing people together, connecting through story."
While financial support is provided by multiple organisations, including Ealaín na Gaeltachta and Cork County Council, the majority of funds come from the Arts Council.
"There's a huge, huge grá for Irish storytelling across the world"
Funding from the national agency, which supports over 200 festivals across Ireland, is highly sought after by small-scale programmes such as Cape Clear.
"[Storytelling] festivals are deliberately programmed not to clash with each other," Aoife said.
"Everyone supports everybody else’s festival; everybody is hoping the Arts Council fund everybody."
The festival is also a huge boost to the local economy on Cape Clear Island.
"It’s vital to the broader well-being of the people on the island," Aoife said.
"There’s obviously a spin-off on accommodation and food; and there’s trad music then in the pubs at night, so they’re busy.
"The ferry times close right after the festival. They accommodate us with the summer timetable right up to the end of that weekend in September, and then it goes back to the winter timetable and the island kind of empties.
"It’s a hard place to live all winter with the storms and sometimes the ferry isn’t running to the mainland – so it’s quite isolating.
"I think it gives people that boost to have that annual festival coming in."
Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival will take place from the 4th – 6th of September. For more information, go here.
