THE MOTH & BUTTERFLY
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF
STORYTELLING & IMPROVISATION
JANUARY 29th - FEBRUARY 1st 2026
FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAMME:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th:
11 AM: Scéal Scéal Eile
(INTERACTIVE Stories in irish from MHÁirín mhic locHlainn and paddy o'brien)
WHEN: 11 am, THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th, 2026
WHERE: Loughrea Public Library
FREE EVENT - NO BOOKING REQUIRED
1pm: The Kaftan of Love
WHEN: 1 - 2pm THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th, 2026
WHERE: BANK OF IRELAND THEATRE, ARÁS NA MAC LÉINN
UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY
A story of magic, loss, and transformation with a powerful message.
The Kaftan of Love is a traditional story from Fez in Morocco, exploring love in its different guises. Follow a young woman determined to seek her heart's desire, on a journey through palaces and street corners, souks and shrines, deserts and oases.
Audience Age: 18+
FREE EVENT - BOOKING ESSENTIAL!
5.30pm: Festival Launch
THE MOTH & BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL LAUNCH!
WHEN: 5.30-7pm, THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th, 2026
WHERE: THE BLUE NOTE
4 William St W, Galway City
Join the Moth & Butterfly Cast and Crew as we launch of our sixth International Festival!
We'll have great craic and conversations, and maybe a drink or two!
Audience Age: 18+
FREE EVENT - NO BOOKING REQUIRED
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30th
11am: Scéalta Iontacha/
Wondrous Tales
Stories As Gaeilge/Bearla
WHEN: 11am-11:30 and 12 noon-12:30, FRIDAY, January 30th, 2026
WHERE: Galway City Museum
Scéalta Iontach/Wonderous Tales!
Moth and Butterfly International Festival of Storytelling and Improvisation presents a delightful bilingual storytelling session with Máirín Mhic Lochlainn, storyteller-in-residence at the University of Galway, and Kate Corkery, our visiting guest artist. This event is presented in partnership with the Galway City Museum.
Audience Age: Suitable for Ages 7–12 / 2nd - 6th Class
FREE EVENT- NO BOOKING REQUIRED
7pm: Underthings Present...
WHEN: 7-8.45 pm FRIDAY, JANUARY 30th, 2026
WHERE: BLUE TEAPOT THEATRE,
MUNSTER AVE, GALWAY CITY
Inspired by an object, a chat, a or simply word from the audience, acclaimed Dublin Improv Duo Underthings will take the audience on a wild improvised journey through story.
The pair “…take loving tours through human misery - with laughs as well”, and introduce us to a wide range of weird and wonderful characters on the way!
This event is theatre setting: doors at 7, show at 7.30 - late admission not guaranteed.
Please email us in advance of attending (mothandbutterflystories@gmail.com) if you have additional accessibility requirements.
Audience Age: 18+
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st:
11am: Stories for Children / Scéalta do Pháistí
WHEN: 11am - 12pm SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st, 2026
WHERE: CHARLIE BYRNES BOOKSHOP,
THE CORN STORE, MIDDLE ST, GALWAY CITY
Join Storytellers Paddy O'Brien (Cork) and Fiona Dowling (Mayo via France) for a Magical morning of bi-lingual storytelling (Gaeilge agus Bearla) in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop!
Join us for Stories for Children (and their adults too!) Admission Free. A collaboration between Tonnta and Moth & Butterfly Festivals.
FREE EVENT - NO BOOKING REQUIRED
11 am: Glitter & Glue
An Improvisation Workshop with Underthings
WHEN: 11 am - 2 pm SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st 2026
WHERE: BLUE TEAPOT THEATRE,
MUNSTER AVE, GALWAY CITY
Glitter is amazing! So sparkly! So interesting! And glue is…glue. It’s sticky? See-through, we suppose? But, if it wasn’t for glue, we’d never keep the glitter on the page, and the glitter shows all the work the glue is doing.
It’s easy to believe that improv is about the glitter-skills of Big Characters and Funny Ideas, but all the glue-skills of Listening, Reacting, and Remembering allow you to build memorable, enjoyable scenes. This workshop will guide us through solo and group exercises to explore this while having fun. Everyone can improvise with a bit of glitter and a bit of glue, but knowing what comes naturally will let you enjoy it even more.
Participant Age: 18+ All Levels. Suitable for everyone with an interest in improvisation!
7pm: Moth & Butterfly Flagship Show - Turning Tides
THE MOTH & BUTTERFLY FLAGSHIP STORYTELLING SHOW!
WHEN: 7-9.30pm SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st, 2026
WHERE: BLUE TEAPOT THEATRE,
MUNSTER AVE, GALWAY CITY
Join the Moth & Butterfly Crew, special festival ensemble, and audience tellers for our flagship night of storytelling and improvisation.
The event combines true, folk and improvised tales, all told to the theme of Turning Tides.
These nights have been described as 'truly magical arts night', and sell out fast, so booking is essential!
This event is theatre setting: doors at 7, show at 7.30 - late admission not guaranteed.
Please email us in advance of attending (mothandbutterflystories@gmail.com) if you have additional accessibility requirements.
Audience Age: 18+
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st:
11 am: A Story in Your Hand – Crafting Tales from an Object
WHEN: 11 am - 1 pm SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st, 2026
WHERE: BLUE TEAPOT THEATRE
MUNSTER AVENUE, GALWAY CITY
Discover how a simple object can open the door to a rich tale...
Join renowned Storyteller Kate Corkery for this two-hour workshop. We will explore ways to for uncover personal memories, vivid details, and blend them with imaginative fiction to create something entirely your own. We’ll find new ways to bring stories to life and you’ll have your own unique story, from the object in your hand. Please bring an object of your choosing to work with.
All levels of experience welcome, but a willingness to participate is a minimum requirement. Suitable for storytellers, writers, tour guides, teachers, and anyone interested in making a story.
Participant Age: 18+
3pm: Tales and Tunes from the High Seas
WHEN: 3-4pm SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st, 2026
WHERE: ATHENRY HERITAGE CENTRE,
THE SQUARE, ATHENRY, CO. GALWAY
Travel on the high seas, hear stories and tunes from distant lands, as well as all the water in between!
Join Storyteller Fiona Dowling and Musician Michael Chang for a storytelling and musical adventure that sails across the seven seas.
Audience Age: 6+
5.30 pm: Sweetshop on the Shore
WHEN: 6 pm SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st, 2026
WHERE: BLUE TEAPOT THEATRE
MUNSTER AVENUE, GALWAY CITY
When are we old enough to know better? How strong is a piece of string? Is seven really the age of reason when we are supposed to know right from wrong, and true from false?
In a village on the shore of Cork Harbour an
only child struggles to make sense of the world.
As the River Lee ebbs and flows nearby, regular
customers come and go to a small sweet shop
that is at the heart of that community. The
stories they share linger in her imagination and grow a life of their own.
Sweet Shop on The Shore is an
autobiographical Storytelling performance by
Kate Corkery. Originally commissioned for the
21st Festival at the Edge, it was later awarded
‘Outstanding Storytelling Performance of 2012’
by The British Awards for Storytelling
Excellence.
'Magic is not a good
enough word - beautiful.'
This event is theatre setting: doors at 5.30, show at 6pm - late admission not guaranteed.
Audience Age: General (over 15's recommended. Not suitable for younger children).
Please email us in advance of attending (mothandbutterflystories@gmail.com) if you have additional accessibility requirements.
7.30pm: The Big Story Circle
Join the ensemble and audience as we celebrate the last event of the festival!
Join us for The Big Story Circle! Come and Listen, come and tell, come and do both!
At the Story Circle we will share a short (5-7 min) story. All styles of storytelling are welcome! Those wishing to tell can sign up on entry.
The Big Story Circle will also feature selected Gimme A Minute One Minute Story Challenge Tellers!
This event is theatre setting: Seating begins at 7.30 and late admission is not guaranteed.
Priority seating will be offered to audience members from the previous show.
Please email us in advance of attending (mothandbutterflystories@gmail.com) if you have additional accessibility requirements. Admission is by donation/pay what you wish and donations are accepted at the door.
Audience Age 18
THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVAL:
Stories for Change - An Online Conversation
WHEN: AVAILABLE TO WATCH JANUARY 29th - FEBRUARY 12th , 2026
WHERE: ONLINE
Everyone loves a good story, but does their reach go deeper than we know?
Can stories themselves affect a change? Can they even change the way we think?
Join groundbreaking Artists Dee Mulroney and Teresa O’Brien, along with our Artistic Director Órla Mc Govern, for a wild and stimulating conversation around the topic of the art form of Storytelling, Multi-Media Storytelling and Change.
Adult themes discussed.
This event will be pre-recorded and available to watch throughout the duration of our festival.
Your donations help us bring you more events like this!
Gimme A Minute
Can you tell a story in a minute or less? We would love to hear your story!
WHEN: 29th JANUARY - 6th FEBRUARY, 2026
We're excited to see you at the festival!
PLEASE USE OUR HASHTAG WHEN SHARING:
#mothandbutterflystories26
Thank you to our funders:
And to our Festival Sponsors & Partners:
