The Gab Storytelling Summer Special

The prayers all week for good weather were granted and we couldn’t have had a finer evening on the site of the old schoolhouse on the church grounds in Waterloo for the Gab Storytelling Summer Special. The collaboration with Blarney Community Choir that started in May paid dividends when the choir joined us for the evening. Under the guidance of Anna Mitchell and accompanied by Robbie Barron on guitar, the choir delighted us with “Under the Moon of Love” by Tommy Boyce and Curtis Lee followed by the timely Oasis classic “Don’t look back in anger” and the uplifting Coldplay’s “When I ruled the world”.  

Local woman, Mary Walsh, was back as Bean a Tí, and had a very easy job with the talent of storytellers that showed up. First was a man from East Cork, Liam O’Shaughnessy, who introduced us to Seán Óg de Barra, the young fella from Cork with more notions in his head than stars in the sky who was the last man to ever join the Fianna. 

Next up was Deirdre O’Mahony, whose grandmother Rita attended the school in Waterloo. Deirdre, sickened by the fact that she has to make a dinner every evening, her kids don’t know how good they have it with pesto and passata. So far from the canned corned beef and carrots of Deirdre’s summer holidays with her grandmother and grandaunts. 

Local man, Paul O’Sullivan, gave us a scéal about Scór ballad group competition. It all started perfectly for the 5 piece women ballad group, well before the time of the Spice girls. They began with “Óró sé do bheatha abhaile”, followed beautifully by “Grace” and then it took a turn … well, you couldn’t make it up. 

Up next, Ballincollig’s Julie Crowley, gave us a beautiful take on a folk tale about a farmer named Ned and his youngest, Mick, who wasn’t convinced his life would be made easier if he were to get married but he went along with the crowd to the local dance. Against his better judgment he got a date, another date and another. And Ned did his best to scupper all Mick’s chances with of all things, a big stone! 

Meath man, Stevie O’Brien, started with a tune on his whistle, Coppers and Brass, and attributed it to Patsy Harrington, a piper who always let his pipes do the talking. Stevie went on to tell us a tale about Patsy, the widow O’Hara, the finest set of pipes, the first motor car in Co. Meath, a big mouthful of golden teeth and a whole lot more. If you missed it, you missed a good one. 

Another blow-in to Cork, Brendan O’Suvllian, a Kerry man originally but we’ll forgive him. Brendan brought us back to the old days, when the graves were always dug by the neighbours. When the professional grave diggers came in, some of the locals took exception and continued to hang around which had a good ending for some. 

Thanks to Fr. Michael Fitzgerald for allowing us to use the church grounds, to the Waterloo Renewal Group for all the hard work they do maintain the beautiful space and sharing it with us, to Fergal & Nora O’Callaghan for these wonderful memories captured with their cameras, to Anna Mitchell, Robbie Barron and the Blarney Community Choir for the beautiful singing, to the wonderful tellers, to Deirdre O’Mahony for pulling it all together and most of all, thanks to the listeners for coming along and lending their ears.

More photos available https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=TheGabStorytelling&set=a.815069964189928