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Title
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"The Elder Days" digital movie by Michelle Quirk
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Description
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Written and performed by Michelle Quirke, with video production and sound recording by Ann- Marie Kelly, 'The Elder Days' bridges ancient Norse Mythology, in a contemporary retelling , a giantess becomes a guardian of An Bhéarú, The Barrow , and crucially how community resilience in the face of modern loss of the physical disruption of our river systems , is causing a living mythology, The Freshwater Pearl Mussels to die off in our lifetime . Fusing the crisis of Ireland's freshwater rivers with the environmental stewardship of Greece for the EU Presidency Trio.
Michelle’s journey into the project began following the passing of her husband. While grieving, she stayed with her sister Denise in Perth, Australia, where she joined a sunrise swim club in Perth called The Human Excellence Society, and upon returning home to Laois, Ireland, away from the sea, she began swimming in local waterfalls. This inspired her to study at UCC ACE , the mythology and heritage of the land and rivers, carrying on her family's storytelling lineage as a third-generation seanchaí and the granddaughter of Helen and Tony Behan from Martinstown.
Michelle Quirke was awarded a prestigious International Award for her storytelling , and digital movie, The Elder Days, at the 2nd International Digital Storytelling Festival (DST-Zakynthos 2026), held in Zakynthos, Greece, from October 2–4.
Held under the auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, under the theme "We, The Story," the festival was organized by four university laboratories across three Greek universities (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of the Aegean, and Ionian University) in collaboration with the Club for UNESCO Zakynthos.
During the festival's Satellite Scientific Events at the Ionian University, Michelle presented her talk as founder of "Mountain Mermaids" an oral and cultural heritage initiative - a wild swim community, who travel in convoy to waterfalls to swim , uncovering the stories of each using academic research for an immersive re-telling of oral heritage and eco-mythology.
The organising and academic committee & panel was presided over by Festival Presidents Prof. Emeritus Michail Meimaris, Joe Lambert (StoryCenter), and Co-Presidents Pip Hardy, Assoc. Prof. Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos, Assoc. Prof. Burcu Simsek, Asst. Prof. Evika Karamagioli, and Tony Sumner.
The organising and academic committee & panel included Chair & President of Club for UNESCO Zakynthos as well as local government and educational dignitaries.
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Identifier
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NM-1308
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Current Location
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County Laois, Ireland
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Language
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English [eng]
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Rights
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(c) Michelle Quirk. All Rights Reserved.
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CC BY-SA 4.0
