Neal Doherty: Storytelling from Mayo to Monaco

Enjoy an evening of storytelling and a multimedia, virtual tour of county Mayo, with anecdotes by Neal Doherty on Thursday, January 23, at the Princess Grace Irish Library 

The author and tourist guid will lead you on an adventure across the west of Ireland with its links to the Kelly family and their ancestral home, now owned by H.S.H. Prince Albert II and his family.

Discover County Mayo’s wild landscapes and the Irish roots of Princess Grace née Kelly, whose grandfather John Henry Kelly left Mayo at just 20 during the famine years, sailing from nearby Achill Island on the infamous “coffin ships” bound for America.

Packed with stories from Neal’s Achill Island Guide Book, the talk features pirate queens (Grace O’Malley!), deserted villages, the Westport-Achill railway, and the dramatic Tuke Emigrations that helped thousands escape poverty in the 1800s.

Fast-forward to 1961 and relive Princess Grace’s emotional return to Mayo with Prince Rainier III on their State Visit to Ireland. Along the way, meet other famous members of the Irish diaspora who left the west and made history.

Admission is €10 per person (€5 for students) and you need to be at the Princess Grace Irish Library for 6:50pm as doors close at 7pm when the talk begins.

You can buy tickets in advance – online, email or by calling + 377 93 50 12 25 – or at the door by cash or cheque made out to “Fondation Princesse Grace”.

The Princess Grace Irish Library is offering a new option this year of preferred seating. “You can tell us where you prefer to be seated and we will reserve your seat to give you time to browse the books before the event starts!”

Located at 9 rue Princesse Marie-de-Lorraine (1st floor) Monaco-Ville, the Princess Grace Irish Library is free to visit and open weekdays only 9am to 5pm (until 4pm).

Photo: TripAdvisor