"Niamh & Oisin" - Storytelling #1 - Folk Tale

Speech #1 from the Toastmasters Storytelling Manual, the Folk Tale. 2/18/09.

Naturally I had to go with an Irish folk tale for this speech. Took me a while to find the right one. Some I liked would've been too long, or required too much background. Or were just a wee bit violent for Toastmasters.

In the end, had to go with Niamh & Oisin. It's a classic story, fun to tell, and my sister would get a kick out of it. I combined a few of the standard variants for this particular speech.

Had a really good time with this one. The most common feedback I got was that I should've stood--but sitting down felt like the right move. Still does.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Toastmasters
• Storytelling

[wrongsideofthemirror]

Lovely to see these myths are still being spread- especially through the oral tradition of the bards. I love our myths and legends, and it's a shame that I'm 22, and even in my generation, only a handful of people remember being told of the Fianna, or Oisín etc, and they don't even remember the stories themselves. It's sad to think that Ireland makes us learn of wars and rebellions and politics for 14 years in History class, yet we never get to connect with our true heritage and culture :(