Hair-raising tales for Halloween

Master storyteller Rab Fulton will perform three shows of Irish and Scottish horror stories in the City’s Crane Bar on Sea Road, throughout October to mark the run-up to Halloween.

Each show will feature a different selection of terrifying tales, featuring executions, cannibalism, serial killers, ghosts and strange and terrible creatures. The shows will kick off next Thursday, October 6, and will continue on October 13 and 27.

In addition to Rab’s dark and disturbing storytelling, each show will be opened by the actor, writer and director Fionnuala Gallagher, who will read short extracts from a horror play she is currently working on.

Rab and Fionnuala have collaborated on projects previously, including the 2010 dark comedy production The Bloody Tale Of Little Red and Wolfie, an adaptation of the popular fairy story in which Little Red Riding Hood is a mass-murderer with a troubling grandmother fixation.

Rab is currently working on two non-horror projects. One is at NUI Galway, where he’s teaching students the craft of storytelling. Rab and the students will visit local schools in the New Year, collaborating with children from diverse backgrounds to create new-cross generational and cross-cultural folk tales. The second project sees Rab working on a theatre collaboration with parents in the Ballybane area of the City.

Fionnuala Gallagher has previously worked with Dhá Éan Theatre Company, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company in different capacities  – actor, writer, director and producer.

She is currently director of the Múscailt Arts Festival at NUI Galway and is Chairperson and Programmer/Co-ordinator of Galway Youth Arts Alliance.

The shows from Rab and Fiona are perfect for fans of macabre, gothic and truly twisted stories.  They aren’t suitable for children or people of a nervous disposition. People with a medical condition are advised to consult a doctor before attending!

■ Shows take place on Thursday, October, 6, 13 and 27. Price €10/8 and doors are 7.50pm.