@ Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Mon 26 October 2015

It is over 100 years since the start of World War One and the landmark event in world history has given many heroic and tragic stories. All for the Dead Man’s Penny is a live storytelling event that takes a passionate and unique perspective on the conflict.

Stories without Borders is the theme of this years Scottish International Storytelling Festival with storytellers from Morocco, Israel and Iran all gracing the stage. International stories are at the forefront of the festival, but Northern Irish storyteller Liz Weir takes the audience on short but enjoyable trip to Donegal.

All for the Dead Man’s Penny combines fantasy and events inspired by real life occurrences to tell a story which looks at nationalism, country and location. Fiddle player Ciaran Mulholland heightens the tension and drama of the story with uplifting and fitting musical accompaniment, which weaves music together with Liz Weir’s passionate words. The traditional Irish story of Oisin is juxtaposed and interwoven with a tale of an Irish Soldier who volunteers to fight during World War One despite the recent Easter Rising of 1916. Personal conflict and the horrors of war are at the heart of the performance.

Liz Weir clearly loves to speak her stories out loud. She has written several children’s book and at times All for the Dead Man’s Penny feels like a child’s fairytale within a World War One setting. This element works well, but it does make the story feel a bit slow at times. Never the less the story is still an engaging one. The fact the over 200,000 Irish volunteers fought during World War One and almost a quarter lost their lives is a tragic and startling fact that the audience will take with them when they leave the performance and this makes All for the Dead Man’s Penny a poignant and important story.