Oíche Shamhain

About the Artist:

Mike Burns is a rare presence in an age of fleeting sound bites, short attention spans and mass media: a true keeper of the oral tradition. His hundreds of stories are based on the tales and legends of his native Ireland. For over 60 years now he’s been telling and retelling the ancient traditions of his homeland, sprung from a pure oral fount of tales..

Fluent in Gaelic, English and French, Mike is a favourite at storytelling festivals across Canada and Europe. In 2003 he published a book/ CD  in French, Raconte-moi que tu as vu l’Irlande (“Tell me you’ve seen Ireland”), published by Éditions Planète Rebelle. Other notable recordings include a tri-lingual 3-cd release in 2012 – Mac an Iascaire, released as part of the Storysave Project by Storytellers of Canada and “Ma Tristesse Sur La Mer”, a historical saga of immigration to the New World. A new book/ CD, Contes d’Irlande, was launched in 2014

A new departure is a series of award-winning animations of his stories by G. Scott McLeod. With the production help of the NFB, these poignant tales of immigration spring from his book “The Water of Life.” A full-length feature film appeared in the spring of 2015.

Mike Burns doesn’t know if his own sons will follow in his storytelling footsteps, but for over 20 years he shared the tradition at the popular solo storytelling sessions held the last Sunday of every month at Hurley’s Irish Pub on Crescent Street in downtown Montreal.

“Mike Burns est un roc : Le monde pourrait partir en poussière pendant qu’il raconte il n’en serait que peu affecté. Les yeux fermés, la voix basse mais tranchante, l’Irlandais du Québec fait partie de la race des conteurs au long souffle, ancré dans la terre qu’il porte en lui.. ”

La Parole, Décembre 2003

“Mike Burns is an Irish storyteller living in Montreal. He is funny, magical, mysterious.”Erica Wagner , chief literary editor, The Times