Now We're Talking - Michael J Murphy Folklore Film Screening

What to Expect

Dungiven Library hosts a special screening of films relating to the life and career of Michael J Murphy, the folklore collector who spent 34 years working with the Irish Folklore Commission documenting folk stories, superstitions and customs across Ulster. Murphy’s fieldwork took him through townlands across Northern Ireland, recording local storytellers, seanchaithe, and the everyday customs and beliefs that were fast disappearing, and the screening gives a Sperrins audience a chance to see that material connected back to their own area. The screening forms part of the PRONI on Tour initiative and the Now We’re Talking reminiscence project, which brings archive material and oral history programming out of Belfast and into local libraries across the region. It follows directly on from a PRONI genealogy workshop held at the same library earlier that afternoon, giving visitors the chance to combine a practical family history session with a look at the wider folklore heritage of the area in a single library visit. The event is aimed at local history enthusiasts, family history researchers and anyone with an interest in oral tradition, and no prior knowledge of Murphy’s work is required to enjoy the screening.

Good to Know

• Tuesday 18 August 2026, 2.00pm to 3.00pm
• Booking via Eventbrite
• Film screening on the life and work of folklore collector Michael J Murphy
• Part of the PRONI on Tour initiative and the Now We’re Talking reminiscence project
• Held at Dungiven Library on Main Street
• Follows directly on from the PRONI Getting Started genealogy workshop at the same venue earlier that day
• Open to all ages with an interest in local folklore, oral history and storytelling traditions

Getting There

Dungiven Library is on Main Street in the centre of Dungiven, within walking distance of the town’s bus stops and on-street parking. Dungiven sits on the main Derry to Belfast road through the Sperrins, making the library an easy stop for visitors from surrounding towns.