If you’ve a story to tell – whether true, false, shaggy dog or otherwise – a new event coming to Manchester tomorrow night needs you.
Seanchoíche, pronounced ‘shanna-key-huh’, was founded in Dublin and has travelled the world, hosting nights as far afield as Amsterdam, Melbourne, Sydney and Cape Town, championing the oral tradition of storytelling.
It comes from the Gaelic ‘seanchaí’, meaning ‘storyteller’ and ‘oíche’ meaning ‘night’, and it arrives at The Yard in Cheetham Hill tomorrow night – Thursday 14 December – its second event in the city after a sell-out night in October.
“I started Seanchoíche in Dublin in 2021 just as we were emerging from multiple lockdowns into the ‘new normal’, in order to create a space where people could connect with total strangers, and of course their closest friends, engage with the powerful art of storytelling,” founder Ciaran Gaffney told Manchester’s Finest.
“During the pandemic, we all had become very introspective, and were also bursting to catch up with others, reconnect, listen to each other’s stories and I thought that society needed a space to celebrate that, while paying homage to an age old tradition that is innately Irish, which is storytelling.
“Now we are running in multiple countries, across 20 major cities, and what I have realised while Ireland is known as a nation of storytellers, the 650 people that have told stories at Seanchoíche across 30+ nationalities have really demonstrated that storytelling is universal, and everyone is able to tell a good story once they put their mind to it.
“I am super excited that Seanchoíche is coming back to Manchester, as the atmosphere in the room last time was honestly electric.
“The stories told were magical, and even a few people in the audience were so inspired that they got up and told a story on a whim after listening to a few stories told by others.
“I think it’s a city full of stories, and I’m looking forward to more nights taking place in Manchester.”
The theme of the evening will be ‘love’ Anyone interested in telling a story on the night can get in touch with the Seanchoíche team here…
You can buy tickets for the night here…
