2026 FESTIVAL ARTISTS

NICEOL BLUE

Niceol is a teller of tales in both song and spoken word. A singer, songwriter, writer, improviser and storyteller, she grew up in the Pacific Northwest of the US, an environment that helped to shape her performance style. Niceol is a published musician, poet and writer, with a voice that has been described as 'exceptional'. Now at home in Galway, Niceol is a founding member of Moth and Butterfly, and works behind the scenes and on stage. Niceol performs as a singer, songwriter, storyteller and sound artist all over the world. Most recently, she was a featured teller for themoth.org, in their holiday episode. As well as being part of the Moth & Butterfly Crew and Artist Roster, Niceol is Moth Butterfly's Technical Director and as such will be running all of the sound and lights and things behind the scenes throughout the festival.

Niceol will be performing in the Festival Flagship Show on Saturday,

and in the Big Story Circle on Sunday night.

MICHAEL CHANG

Michael Chang is a composer, musician, and performer based in Galway. He is an active member of Galway’s vibrant traditional Irish music scene, where he hosts several trad sessions per week, and has recorded on over 50 Irish albums to date. He has worked with Branar Téatar do Pháistí for over 15 years, where he has since collaborated on ten productions, including composing the score for their Galway European City of Culture production Sruth na Teanga, and composing the music for You'll See, a retelling of James Joyce's Ullyses, currently touring in North America. Michael has also collaborated with Rosán Sensory Adventures, creating and performing shows specifically to empower and engage neurodiverse children. Michael was the Composer and Musical Director of Galway Community Circus’ spectacle event, LifeLine, performed during the 2022 Galway Arts Festival to an audience of over 20,000 onlookers.

Mike will be performing in Tales and Tunes from the High Seas in the Athenry Heritage Centre

KATE CORKERY

Kate Corkery is a captivating Irish storyteller who has performed in countless schools, libraries, theatres and festivals across the world, delighting audiences of all ages. As award winning storyteller- in- residence at The Irish Cultural Centre, London, Kate has run storytelling clubs, festivals, workshops and training courses. She is a founder member of ‘EVERYDAY MAGIC’- Storytelling for London Schools and one half of dynamic Afro Caribbean/Celtic duo ‘SPUD &YAM’and a popular voice worldwide on SUPERGREATKIDSSTORIES podcast. Kate loves to collect and share stories from Ireland and is author of ‘Cork Folk Tales’. Her highly acclaimed FATE commissioned show ‘Sweet Shop on the Shore’, set in her home town of Passage West, won outstanding storytelling performance at the BASE awards and has gone on to tour far and wide. Kate is thrilled to be bringing her stories to The Moth & Butterfly Festival!

You can catch Kate telling Wondrous Tales on Friday,

in the Festival Flagship Show on Saturday,

join her Storytelling Workshop on Saturday

and see her solo storytelling show, 'Sweetshop on the Shore' on Sunday evening.

FIONA DOWLING

Fiona is a French-Irish storyteller and multidisciplinary artist based in County Mayo. As well as telling her favourite folktales through Irish schools and libraries, Fiona has been engaging in collaborations at home and abroad. Recent projects include: 2024 YARN Storyteller-in-Residence at the World Storytelling Cafe, Marrakesh, telling at the 2025 Marrakesh International Storytelling Festival, a 'Culture Moves Europe' grant from the European Union to research, perform and teach storytelling in Tbilisi, Georgia, and telling stories as part of the Public Art Commission "Touchstones" over several County Mayo locations Fiona is passionate about the ability of stories to reflect the human experience in all of its shades, from laughter to tears, and build connection and community.

You can catch Fiona telling at her solo show The Kaftan of Love,

telling Stories for Children in Charlie Byrne's,

in the Festival Flagship Show,

and in 'Tales and Tunes from the High Seas' in the Athenry Heritage Centre

ÓRLA MC GOVERN

Órla is an award-winning Storyteller, performer and writer based in Galway. As well as being the Artistic Director of Moth & Butterfly, she performs, tells stories and leads workshops at venues small and large around the world. Órla's plays have been produced globally and she has written two books of stories ‘Dublin Folk Tales For Children’ & ‘Wild Waves & Wishing Wells’ (The History Press). She is a member of Galway collective Theatre 57 and of the Connemara Arts Collective Interface Inagh. As well as theatre performance, Órla also acts for film and TV. Some credits include ‘Stay’, ‘Lily’, Sanctuary, and ‘North Circular Road’. She is a member of Ohana, the European Collective of Improvisors, and she loves to swim in the sea!

You can catch Órla telling in The Festival Flagship show,

hosting Stories for Change online,

and at 'The Big Story Circle on Sunday night.

MHÁIRÍN MHIC LOCHLAINN

As Ros a’ Mhíl do Mháirín Mhic Lochlainn! She tells stories in Irish and English, in the traditional way - the way her father used to tell them sitting by the fireside on the long winter nights of her youth! Siad na scéalta fiannaíochta is fearr le Máirín - the long sagas about the King of Ireland’s son, getting the better of An Fathach Mór in the land of the east; stories that would take 3 or4 nights to tell! Máirín also has a lot of local stories, about all sort of things, ar nós Conán Maol agus An Chailleach; or The Eel who lived in Loch Coraib; or the Fairies in Áill na Graoi! She has told stories as far away as New Zealand, where the Māoris tell stories not unlike the Irish Stories! Sure stories have been travelling since the beginning of time, agus ho fada mar sin an scéal!

You can catch Máirín in Scéal Scéal Eile, in Galway County,

telling Wondrous Tales at the Galway City Museum,

and in the Festival Flagship Show

DEE MULROONEY

Dee Mulrooney is an emerging Irish artist, living and working in Berlin. Raised working-class in a small nation dominated by Catholicism and men, she now lives as a teacher, a mother, and an artist discovering the joy of playing with taboos and visions of female identity that would until all to recently have seen her locked away. Her projects span visual art, film, storytelling and theatre. Her influences are a long list—basically any woman who ever did a damned thing worth doing. “My art has become a home of sorts, a shelter, a place where I can truly express all the facets of my experience as a human, a woman walking this earth at this crucial time in our existence. Art is my medicine.”

You can catch Dee in our online discussion Stories for Change.

PADDY O'BRIEN

Born in Co. Kerry, Paddy O'Brien is a natural storyteller who has appeared at Storytelling festivals all over Ireland. He has been a featured teller on many occasions at the world-famous Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival. Paddy can entertain any audience from age 3 to 103 with his fantastic stories, songs and verse - told in his own inimitable way. Rugadh Pádraig Ó Briain i gCo. Chiarraí. Is scéalaí nádúrtha é agus scéalta ínste aige ar fud na tíre seo go léir. Bhí sé go minic mar scéalaí ag an bhféile iomráiteach ar Oiléan Chléire. Tá sé ábalta scéalta a rá atá oiriúnach do ghach éinne ó aois 3 go 103. Baineann daoine fíor taitneamh as a scéalta, a dhánta agus a chuid amhráin - ínste ina shlí speisialta, spóirtiúil féin.

You can catch Paddy in Scéal Scéal Eile, in Galway County,

telling Stories for Children on Saturday,

in the Festival Flagship Show,

and at The Big Story Circle on Sunday!

TREASA O'BRIEN

Treasa O'Brien is a filmmaker, artist, writer, and curator. Her works explores fiction, documentary, and artists moving image but she is most interested when those distinctions collapse. Her work has been awarded funding by Screen Ireland, The Arts Council of Ireland, Clare County Council, and The Goethe Institute. Films and art projects have been shown internationally in festivals and galleries and bought for broadcast. She has worked on productions for Channel 4, BBC4, and the United Nations. She has a degree in Fine Art, a Masters in Fiction Directing and a Ph.D. in Filmmaking by Practice. She has taught film and art at UCL, Goldsmiths, University of Westminster, NUIG, LSAD, and GMIT. Much of her formal teaching was undone when she was a participant of Werner Herzog's Rogue Film School.

You can catch Treasa in our online event Stories for Change.

JACKIE ROANTREE

Jackie Roantree is a dubliner living in the west of Ireland for 30 years. Her performance path started as a teen in the Dublin youth theatre and onwards to New York and London before joining Macnas in 1990. She then ran away with a sailor and lived on Inis Mór with her 2 children painting the landscape and working with community arts. She lives between there and galway where she has been involved in performance and improv and holds a degree in contemporary art. Jackie has been involved with Moth & Butterfly for almost a decade telling her stories and improvising.

You can catch Jackie telling at The Festival Flagship Show

and at The Big Story Circle on Sunday!

UNDERTHINGS

Underthings are Dublin-based improv duo, Denny MacDermott & Debbie Cheevers. They have been performing together since 2018, in what they consider to be one continuous show that they occasionally let other people watch. Their work is narrative, multi-character long-form, often using the La Ronde structure, or the Deconstruction. Their main focus is domestic horror, interpersonal relationships, and the amazing human ability to get in their own way. They enjoy fancy filth, the darker side of human relationships, funny voices, and long references to their hobbies, none of which they apologise for. Underthings perform sketch, improv, take tour groups on comedic tours of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, and teach improv with Lower the Tone.

You can catch Underthings performing on Friday night,

and take their workshop Glitter and Glue on Saturday!