Helena’s interactive storytelling workshops for schools combine storytelling and Irish folktales with speech and drama games, fun vocal warm-ups, and self-confidence exercises.

These workshops are suitable for every age from 4 to 12 years, with formats to suit each age group. Helena also facilitates these workshops for children with special needs, including ASD and has brought her workshops to numerous ASD units and special schools, including Crumlin Children’s Hospital and Saplings Special Schools.

This is so much more than your average ‘storytime’. Helena’s interactive storytelling transports children’s imaginations into the magical world of Irish folklore, with tales of the Leprechaun, the Fairy Folk and spooky Irish ghost stories. Not only are children entertained; They also learn fun vocal and physical exercises, participate in lively speech and drama games and will be encouraged to create their own characters and stories. Every child is a storyteller in the making!

kids interactive storytelling workshops primary schools elementary children
kids interactive storytelling workshops primary schools elementary children

Helena has brought her workshops to primary schools across the whole of Ireland, as well as elementary schools in the USA and international schools on continental Europe.

Helena is the most engaging guest I have ever welcomed into my school library! My students of all ages (4 years to 12 years), as well as the teachers and staff of my school, were so positively impacted by her stories, performances, and songs! She is energetic and enigmatic! Every student was engaged all day for two days. Every adult fell in love with her. We laughed, we cried, we sang, we performed movement exercises, we were spooked. Her mesmerizing stories and songs left our school captivated for weeks!! We cannot wait to invite her back in the Spring!! Over 5 stars if I could. 😀 – Sembach Elementary School, Sembach, Germany

“Helena made a recent visit to my junior infant class. The children were engaged from the first minute of the visit. They thoroughly enjoyed getting involved in the stories. Helena’s pacing was excellent, she knew when to move on, when to get the children moving and how to manage the group. I would highly recommend her as fantastic experience for a class.”Victoria Stewart, Monkstown Educate Together, Dublin

“Ms Byrne participated in the Kids Euro Festival at the Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC… She is a gifted storyteller, performer & singer, bringing to life Irish folklore & culture interwoven with Traditional Irish songs. The audiences at the embassy, young & old alike, were very impressed with Ms. Byrne’s performances & storytelling.”Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the USA, 2017-2022

For further details, including rates and availability, please contact Helena using the contact form below or email directly at helena@helenabyrne.com

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“She is a gifted storyteller, performer & singer, bringing to life Irish folklore & culture interwoven with Traditional Irish songs. The audiences at the embassy, young & old alike, were very impressed with Ms. Byrne's performances & storytelling.”

“I heard of this performance by Helena Byrne from a Dubliner, and she was recommended for storytelling. So my pal and I went, ate quite deliciously and enjoyed a well-timed, funny and charming lady who sang beautifully' Delightful & Informative”

'An enchanting evening of Irish history, folklore, fairy tales and song' Helena was our hostess for the evening, and she drew in her audience from start to finish. She began by speaking of food, and the importance of the potato in Irish history. Paced throughout the evening between courses were stories of Irish folk and fairy lore, along with traditional songs and a little game. Helena is a fluid and engaging story teller and has a lovely voice. She had CDs for sale, of which we purchased two, and have enjoyed listening to them very much.
This was a lovely finish to our stay in Ireland, the perfect entertainment for a chilly, rainy evening.'

''Evening of Food, Folklore and Fairies' with Helena Byrne. A truly exceptional evening. Great storytelling and singing from Helena who hosted the whole evening expertly.'

'Wonderful evening' Helena was absolutely captivating! We loved her energy, humor and learned a lot about the ancient folklore of Ireland. Great event for the kids (6+)!'

'We were delighted that Helena Byrne visited the Consulate General in Austin, Texas as part of the Pursuit of Happiness tour. Her reputation as an accomplished storyteller and singer brought fans from all over Texas to the Consulate for her performance. It was wonderful that Helena was able to bring her stories and songs about Irish emigration, voyage and exploration to the Irish community in Texas. This event was a highlight at the Irish Consulate in 2018.'

'I hired Helena Byrne to perform for just under 100 people at an international conference in Trinity College, and she captivated every single person with her wonderful songs and stories. Helena not only has an incredible voice (and really knows how to use it) but she is also very pleasant to work with and highly professional. Next time I organise something similar, Helena is sure to be on the programme again.'

'Helena came to our school to do a workshop with 3 classes during literacy week. The workshops were a huge success. The children were so engaged and eager to participate. There was storytelling, drama, singing and creativity across the classes and Helena was a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend Helena for school workshops and we will certainly invite her back again soon.'

'Helena is a treasure and great diplomat for our lovely isle (Ireland)' Fiona (11) and I loved an evening of superb quality but back to basics & good cheer. You must go!.'

'If you are in Dublin, RUN do not walk to see her performance. It is beyond outstanding.'

'What an night' The food was hearty, delicious and lots of it! But the real showcase was Helena's stories of fairies and folklore of Ireland. Her way of drawing you into her stories make them come alive. Get yourself a CD and bring back her lovely songs to enjoy and her stories and legends to believe or believe them not.'

'An Enchanting Evening ' Helena was just amazing. Her stories were wonderful, her singing was angelic.'

'We hired Helena Byrne to entertain us one night over dinner. It was brilliant ' an evening of Irish stories and songs where we learned all about Irish Fairies, Pookas and Banshees. Helena's stories transported us and gave us a much better feel for Irish history and mythology' We would highly recommend to other families.'

'Captivating Storytelling and Enchanting Songs. Helena made everyone in the room feel welcome with her warm demeanor and hospitable nature. She held the room captivated by her charisma and detailed storytelling. When she began to sing towards the end of the evening, the event was elevated to a whole new level.'

'Helena Byrne was our storyteller and she was thoroughly enjoyable. Witty, charming and engaging! I've always been enamored of fairies and her tales were delightful!'

'Fantastic Time! Helena really brings to life the history of Ireland in a delightful, animated way! There was not a dull moment, the flow of the event was perfect and you're in for a special treat! Helena's singing voice is breath taking!'

'Stunning! My Mother, Grandmother, younger Sister and I traveled to Dublin recently and were fortunate enough to attend Helena's show. It. Was. Fantastic. From ages 14-72, we all had a great evening. A wonderful night of life-long memories with my family, made better by Helena's captivating storytelling skills and absolutely stunning voice' I am so grateful to have had such a wonderful night. I will most definitely return next time I am in Dublin.'

'My husband Paul and myself had the pleasure of hearing your stories and beautiful voice in May 2015. You sang 'He Moved Through The Fair' for me. I unashamedly cried. It was so beautiful. We have your CD and listen to it often. Thank you for making our visit to Ireland all the better. We loved Ireland. Beautiful memories.'

'My Aunt and I attended Helena's Folklore dinner. Helena was absolutely wonderful! She made her stories come to life with charisma and humor! I highly suggest attending this event! Oh, and be sure to pick up a copy of her music! Five stars all the way!'

'Just got home from your show in Albany, NY. We saw you in Ireland and loved your performance just as much. Again, I got goosebumps listening to you. You are great.'

'We 4 women from Toronto enjoyed everything about the evening' Our story-teller, Helena, had everyone captivated with her beautiful voice as she relayed the history of the potato famine and regaled us with a history of the faerie tales.'

'This was a wonderful way to spend our first evening in Ireland. We learned so much about Irish history, folklore and fairies through Helena, who was a wonderful storyteller and singer. She was simply enchanting. Her stories were touching and funny' All in all a great introduction to Ireland!'

'Our storyteller, Helena, was enchanting. She had the whole room on the edge of its seat while we listened to her tell stories, and I left truly wanting more. Cannot recommend this enough.'

'Helena is a talented storyteller, and singer. She set a warm, welcoming atmosphere and told instructive stories about Irish history and traditions.'

'Helena's show is absolutely amazing. I was visiting Dublin to do research at Trinity College for my next book. I heard about her storytelling dinner that weaves history, folklore, and fairies with delicious food and I immediately booked a ticket' Helena created a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and I learned so much. The food, music, and stories were delightful' If you have the chance to see Helena in Ireland or while she's on tour, grab a ticket well in advance as they sell out quickly. Highly recommend!'

'There's no better way to learn a culture than to hear its stories. Helena has such a pleasant voice and animated personality that it makes listening a joy' Overall, I can't wait to come back to Dublin to do this again!

'Helena was our storyteller and did an amazing job' Absolutely recommend this for a good night of entertainment.'

'An entertaining evening out with a Global Work Group. As part of an international event we had 21 people from all over the world attend seminars. Helena was fantastic and had everyone mesmerized. We really couldn't recommend this evening out enough.'

'Wonderful experience. This was the highlight of my trip to Dublin! She is such an incredible story teller. Don't go to Dublin and miss her!'

'One of the Highlights of our time in Dublin. From start to finish we were entertained and had a great evening. Our host and storyteller was Helena and she was fantastic. The perfect combination of host and storyteller. It was easy to feel like we had known her for much longer than an hour by the end of the evening.'

'Excellent Evening in Dublin. Listening to Helena was awesome, she is a really talent! Her stories were exciting and very interesting and made us wanting more of them. It was great know some of the history and lore of Ireland, and even when we went to 'The Hill of Tara' we ran into some 'older' people that still believed in the fairies, we would not know about this if not for Helena!!! I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone the first time in Ireland!!! Worth every cent!!'

'Icing on the Cake. Helena, our storyteller, captivated us with her tales and lovely singing. She was sure to look at everyone in the room as she entertained, drawing us in even more. The stories were fabulous, and she was a delight!' Highly recommend!'

'Brought me back to my ancestor's Irish heritage. Helena was amazing. Her storytelling was riveting. I truly felt like she brought me back to the 1800's. Very talented singer as well.'

'Helena was a wonderful storyteller with a brilliant singing voice. She knew how to keep the audience attention and had me on the edge of my seat as I was living myself in these stories.'

'Spent the evening with Helena Byrne as our story teller. Great fun and a better understanding of the Irish psyche, mythology, history and culture. I always believed that fairies and lepruchans were fiction. Now I know they are true. Thank you.'

'Wonderful Storytelling. A great evening out' she was absolutely wonderful. She's funny and cute, and her voice is sweet and crisp, and she also sings beautifully. I had no trouble hearing and understanding her even though my back was to an open door with white noise coming in from fans or such. If I lived in Dublin, I would be dragging every visitor who came to me to this night out, just for the excuse to go again myself :D'

'Fantastic Irish Evening. This is a must do event' Helena was absolutely delightful with an excellent delivery of the stories and an amazing singer as well.'

'Just had an amazing night, went to a dinner and stories even with an amazing storyteller in Helena Byrne, amazing singer as well as storyteller. Best night in Ireland so far.'

'Helena Brought the Fairies to Life! Her singing voice is beautiful, and her stories of all tales Irish was informative and a great way to spend an evening in Dublin.'

'What a wonderful introduction to Ireland's history and culture! Helena was fabulous' put on a tremendous show of singing and storytelling that was not only enjoyable but educational as well. She has a unique style of engaging with the audience, telling stories, talking about Ireland's history, and singing that delighted everyone.'

'Captivating Storytelling at it's finest. Helena's gift of painting pictures on your mind will leave you wanting more. Do yourself a favor and spend an evening with Helena.'

'Stories were enchanting, as was our story teller Helena. She also has an amazing singing voice. My 17 year old son loved it, and showed it! That never happens.'

'Helena did a fantastic job of holding a crowded room of international guests spell bound with her stories, singing and musicians. It was our last night of our tour and we thoroughly enjoyed it.'

'Helena Byrne is a charming person. We loved her stories about the fairies and her voice is beautiful. We play her CD all the time.'

'Helena is amazing' Was happily entertained by Helena's story telling and singing. There was also a couple guys that played, they were funny and witty and entertaining as well but the star of the night was Helena with her charming personality and story telling expertise as well as her accent which I could listen to all night. I would recommend this to everyone to learn of Irish folklore and stories. Helena is a great entertainer and absolute pleasure.'

'Helena is a wonderful story teller, and we were all hanging on her every word. She also has a beautiful singing voice. We bought her CD and can't wait to hear her sing again.'

'The storyteller, Helena, is fascinating, giving so much information about Ireland and the Irish way of life, in such an entertaining, engaging way that you never want her to stop.'

'This was my favorite part of the trip. Helena was our story teller, I could have listened to her all night long. Her actions, the way she told stories made you feel like you were right there being a part of it. Never wanted her to stop.'

'May I say that Helena is perfect at her role, and when sang brought the room to a level of mesmerizing awe.'

'I had the pleasure of taking a group of 39 people to the Brazen Head, Ireland's oldest pub, for their-last evening in Dublin at the end of a 12 day tour of Ireland. But what a surprise lay in store when we met Helena Byrne our host for the evening. A very talented lady. With song /storytelling and folklore this has to be the most entertaining evening I have ever attended. Helena is just a breath of fresh air she truly is a great tourist ambassador for Ireland. This show is a must for anyone visiting Dublin.'

'Helena Byrne is a terrific storyteller. She has a great presence and terrific voice (when she sings traditional songs).'

'Being entertained by Helena was more than a treat. The stories and facts were told beautifully and clearly, we were given such an interesting insight into aspects of Irish culture, we laughed sometimes, were touched at others.'

'Both the telling of the Celtic tales, the Irish music and beautiful singing by Helena (you must hear her voice to believe it) was second to none.'

'Helena, our host, conveyed the essence of the celtic tradition with mesmerizing stories and a singing voice like an angel.'

'Our storyteller, Helena, was fabulously entertaining and informative. In addition to the stories themselves, she mixed into her narrative an explanation of how folklore was a critical aspect of expression in the Irish experience therefore suggesting the importance it held in appreciating Irish culture. We were not only thoroughly entertained but we also learned quite a lot about the significance of folklore to the Irish psyche in days past. Such awareness is even somewhat useful in understanding contemporary Irish culture. She also displayed a beautiful voice as she sang a couple of folk songs for us during the evening.'

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