In the seanchaí tradition, tales were never written down. They were passed on by word of mouth by a seanchaí through storytelling conventions peculiar to the Irish folk tradition, fusing all the imaginative skills and lyrical power to keep the audience engaged. For the seanchaí, storytelling was a business. He used his skills to earn his living.
A new series of talks called Ignite the West is promising to reimagine the old seanchaí ways while helping entrepreneurs based in the west to showcase their ideas. The first session kicks off at 8pm on Friday, May 7, at the The Mill Times Hotel in Westport. Admission is a recession-busting €5.
The ‘Ignite’ formula has spread like wildfire across over 200 cities across the world. Ignite the West promoters Steve Daley and Dermot McCabe explain that attendees can expect a cabaret event that ‘harnesses the imagination and champions new business opportunities, inspiring lessons and ambitious social projects – as well as some hilarious gibberish to make everyone laugh – at breakneck speed’. They are hoping that it becomes the social event in the West’s calendar for anyone who wants to share new ideas over a beer.
Ignite’s motto is ‘Enlighten us, but make it quick’. Accordingly, each of the speakers have just five minutes to get their idea across – using 20 slides that revolve every 15 seconds on the screen. There’s no time for waffle.
The range of speakers at the first Ignite The West gig is guaranteed to fire the imagination. Brave speakers lined up for the opening night include Saw Doctors ex-drummer Johnny Donnelly, who will fly through his experience of managing the entertainment and celebrations laid on in Galway to mark the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in 2009.
Padraig McKeown, who is steering the national ideas competition Your Country Your Call, will be explaining what makes a PR man tick, as will inimitable brand guru Mark Conguista, Head of Interactive at Irish International BBDO and Proximity in Dublin. Web technologist Alastair McDermott - a native of Newport - will be enlightening the audience about his own journey from programming geek to Internet entrepeneur.
Mayo woman Clare Carroll will be sharing her vision for oddjobgiant, a new website that helps you find local tradesmen for odd-jobs at home and in the office. Furniture designers Alan Flannery and Colin Gannon will showcase ideas behind their new start-up Groove Furniture. Then Travis Zeray, founder of ClewBayOutdoors.ie, will whizz through his vision for outdoor tourism in Mayo.
Achill artist and surfer Shane Cannon, will talk about the zen of creativity, before local optician Clodagh McGovern makes a spectacle of herself. Other Mayo speakers will include Fintan Conlan (One Man and His Van), smart-energy pioneer Colm Rochford of Powersavvy, and author and weight-loss guru Fiona Hoban.
Justin Knecht, a self-described design evangelist and entrepreneur, born in the US but brewed in Ireland since 2006, is based at the Centre for Design Innovation in Sligo. He will be revealing how good design can help you find the perfect pint. Other confirmed speakers from the North West include creativity trainer, Heather James; serial entrepreneur and social media trainer, Johnny Beirne of downloadmusic.ie; and telecoms and broadband evangelist, David Mullins.
For anyone interested in a searingly stimulating night out populated by upbeat people who see the current economic predicament as an opportunity rather than a disincentive, Ignite the West sounds like just the ticket.
