Gerard Durkin’s stories are for everyone. They tend to be comic tales from a mix of traditional, modern and self-written material. He also sings and plays guitar, with the songs and stories designed to encourage participation.

Gerard was born in Lanarkshire and lived most of his life in Bothwell before moving to Blantyre where he’s now based. Storytime at school was always his favourite part of the day. From an early age, Gerard kept family members amused and according to his mother, he has always told ‘tall tales’.

He worked with South Lanarkshire Libraries for fifteen years and was the children’s assistant at Blantyre and Burnbank Libraries. He became a storyteller as part of his job, introducing school children to the library through storytelling sessions. These sessions became popular and local schools began to ask him to visit in his own time, which led to Gerard joining the national storytelling network. He is now a full-time storyteller comfortable with adult groups, teenage groups and primary school children, as well as nursery and infant work.

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