Brussels' storytellers, put your hands together for the second coming of Seanchoíche (pronounced Shanna-keyuh) to the city. The Irish-founded collective came to fruition during the Covid-19 pandemic when Ciarán 'Gaff' Gaffney set out to change the idea of the traditional Irish storyteller.
Stemming from the combination of Irish terms 'seanchoí' and 'oíche' meaning 'storyteller' and 'night,' Gaff adopted the phrase for his events that set out to bring a modern and international twist to Ireland's rich oral tradition.
Making the Irish Independent’s '30 under 30' list in 2024, Gaff explains the inspiration for Seanchoíche is rooted in his time spent living in Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, and the USA after his studies. In these explorations of new spaces, he deepened connections with others through anecdotal storytelling, making space to "find a sense of common ground and commonality with one another".
An accepting third space
Gaff further cites the Covid-19 pandemic as a pivotal moment in recognising the importance of human connection, where every interaction with a neighbour on the street became a precious moment. Post Covid-19 Gaff felt an opening in the Irish nightlife scene that would recenter "bringing back the spirit of Dublin", and encourage open communication and tolerance.
The events are not strictly apolitical although he asks contributors to refrain from sparking intentional controversy, inspiring attendees to see things from other people's perspective whilst maintaining its reputation as a safe space for all identities, nationalities, cultures, religions, and sexualities. Seanchoíche has raised funds for Palestinian aid throughout the years and Gaff notes that attendees tend to have similar values and interests to the collective.
Gaff ensures that Seanchoíche is not just an event for professional speakers, with "people who might not even consider themselves storytellers" making up around 60% of speakers. According to Gaff, amateur storytellers "often end up being the best people up there."
Credit: Seanchoíche
Going international
Since its founding in 2021, Seanchoíche has gone on to host an array of international events in cities including London, New York, and Amsterdam, among others. Amongst the most recent additions to the bill are Berlin and of course, Brussels.
Returning this October in Saint-Gilles' PianoFabriek cultural centre, Gaff highlights Brussels' great arts and literary scenes and its reputation as Europe's most cosmopolitan city as reasons for Seanchoíche's return.
Reflecting on Seanchoíche's Brussels debut back in May 2025, he says that almost every speaker from the line-up came from a different part of the world, with only one or two Irish speakers.
Credit: Seanchoíche
'Bridging the gap between the Irish diaspora and local community'
With the Central Statistics Office noting Irish emigration figures are at the highest since 2015, Seanchoíche acts as a link between local international communities and Irish migrants, and vice versa. Gaff speaks of the events not relying solely on the Irish diaspora, urging speakers of varied backgrounds to contribute to the conversation, describing stories as "the only thing that we all have in common".
Gaff recognises the role of Irish Gaelic football associations and countless Irish pubs worldwide in cementing Irish communities abroad. Seanchoíche offers an alternative for those with literary interests, or just those looking to branch out and try something new.
Equally, Seanchoíche-hosted events in Dublin have expanded to occasionally being conducted in Spanish to honour the Spanish-speaking community, while events hosted in Amsterdam are held in the Dutch language - "but everybody is still pronouncing it Seanchoíche," Gaffney laughs.
The event celebrates the merging of cultures and increasing diversity of the world today, including those with ties to Ireland and without. For Irish people broad, it "feels like home but it also feels so accepting of other cultures and societies".
The next Brussels edition of Seanchoíche will be held on the 1 October under the theme of "change" and tickets are on sale now.
