YARN Residency 2025

YARN Storytelling Festival is thrilled to have been awarded the Arts Council International Residency Initiative Scheme support again this year, giving us the opportunity to expand our oral storytelling connections with both the World Storytelling Café and Storytellers Union for Cultural Innovation and Art of Storytelling in Marrakech.

In 2025 two Irish oral storytellers, Eimear Burke and Joe Brennan will each travel to Morocco and we will welcome two Moroccan storytellers, Zouhair Khaznaoui and Zakia Elyoubi to Ireland. 

These residency partnerships celebrates the a deep connection that exists between Morocco and Ireland forged through our shared oral storytelling tradition. The residency programme is kindly supported by Killruddery House and Gardens, who will host Zakia in November during the YARN Storytelling Festival.

Zouhair Khaznaoui & Eimear Burke showcased their collaboration in development in Mermaid on 19th August and again in Marrakech on 20th September. 

Joe Brennan and Zakia Elyoubi have been collaborating on a new storytelling piece and their finalé performance will take place in Mermaid Arts Centre on Friday 14th November.

Joe Brennan (Ireland)

Wexford storyteller Joe Brennan has been weaving tales of magic, wonder and adventure for the past 25 years. He has shared his collection of traditional and original stories with audiences of all ages in a myriad of locations, from classrooms to libraries to arts venues to hospitals.

He has featured in countless storytelling and arts festivals including Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival and YARN Storytelling Festival. He has travelled widely telling stories, most recently to Hungary, Norway and India.

Joe is also a children’s playwright and the author of Donegal Folk Tales. He was the curator of the Children’s programme for Kilkenny Arts Festival and inaugurated the ‘Three Sides of the Same Sea’ International Storytelling Festival, Rametlon, Co. Donegal.

Zakia Elyoubi (Morocco)

Zakia Elyoubi is a teacher, a Friend of Fez Orphans and an oral storyteller.

She grew up listening to stories from her family members as a child. In 2013, she heard of a storytelling program at Café Clock in Fez called "Keeping the Heritage of Oral Storytelling from Dying" and jumped at the opportunity. In this program she learned the craft from the master of storytelling in Fez Mohamed Mokhlis.

After that she started telling at Café Clock as well as some private storytelling events.
She went to all American language centers in Morocco facilitating storytelling workshops for students under the title "Tell Your Story".
She also traveled in Morocco with a group of travel writers as a storyteller with the agency Deep Travel. She has participated in 4 storytelling festivals in Morocco.

Zakia's motto is "tell tell tell, cause storytelling can change the world, if not the whole then it will change yours. "

Zouhair Khaznaoui (Morocco)

Zouhair Khaznaoui is an accomplished Storytelling artist whose unwavering passion for the rich and diverse cultural traditions of Morocco has been the driving force behind his illustrious career. With a deep appreciation for the art of oral storytelling, Zouhair has been trained and initiated by renowned Maalems (masters) of storytelling in Morocco such as Haj Ahmed Ezzarghani, Abderrahim AL-Azzalia, and Mohamed Bariz.

Drawing from his extensive training and exposure to a wide range of artists and scholars from around the world, including Moulay Jaafar El Kansoussi, John Row, Baba-C, Sef Townsend, and Raymond de la Fontaine, Zouhair has developed a unique and authentic style that reflects his profound understanding of the universal appeal of storytelling.

In addition to his artistic pursuits, Zouhair’s academic background in English Literature and Cultural Studies, Graduating from The Technical University of Dresden, Germany, has provided him with a solid foundation for his interest in storytelling. As an international student, he was able to travel and study abroad, gaining exposure to a diverse range of artistic perspectives and experiences. In 2022 Zouhair Khaznaoui Co-founded and Directed the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival and presided over the Storytellers Union for Cultural Innovation and Art of Storytelling.

In mid 2023 Zouhair Khaznaoui established the very first storytelling school in the Arab world and Africa under the name International Storytelling School of Marrakech: The latter is a gateway for young and passionate individuals to become professional storytellers.

Currently Zouhair Khaznaoui runs a year-long storytelling Odyssey: Tales Across Borders. The project is a celebration of the storytelling art in Marrakech as a capital city of culture for the Muslim world.

Eimear Burke (Ireland)

Eimear is a Druid and a Storyteller. She has a deep love of the ancient Irish tales and has a passion for storytelling. She brings the old tales to new audiences, and - while remaining faithful to the stories - often examines them from new perspectives, so that listeners experience them as fresh and relevant. She loves to weave in song and the harp into her stories. She particularly enjoys showing people the sacred sites of Ireland and telling the ancient tales right where they happened.

Eimear has private practice as a Counselling Psychologist and her interests in Druidry and psychology have led her to act as a Celebrant, helping people to design and enact meaningful rites of passage. She is licensed to perform legal weddings in the Republic of Ireland and can also offer non legal ceremonies. She weaves ancient tales into her ceremonies.

Eimear is the Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) and lives in Kilkenny, Ireland. She is also a Priestess dedicated to Danú in the Fellowship of Isis. She is an Arch Druidess in the Druid Clan of Dana and a member of the Noble Order of Tara.