When people ask me where I’m from, I usually reply, “Spirish” – meaning Spanish by birth, Irish by adoption. After graduating in 2006, I moved to Dublin to build a career in the localization industry. Little did I know then that not only I would find my pot of gold, but also a great love – the love of a new nation with an ancient, fascinating culture that would nurture me during all my adult life. The Fair City, with her somber past peeping amongst the post-Celtic Tiger blitz, truly became my home for the next 15 years.

The Irish and the Spanish do have a lot of things in common -from converging points in our historical, political and religious background, to unavoidable character traits such as our well-known sociability and loving a bit of craic, be it at the vermú time in the local tapas bar or downing pints to the jingle-jangle of the trad band playing the Old Triangle.

Cherishing both my identities as I do, I’m always looking for opportunities to bring the Spanish and the Irish even closer together, to keep on intertwining that common weave and strengthening the knots. I thrive when I act as the galvaniser for the Spirish magic to spark. And I do so through storytelling, bringing Irish stories to Spain and Spanish stories to Ireland -especially through literature, and specifically through theatre.

Imagine my ashtonisment when I learnt that the most prominent play of acclaimed playwright Sean O’Casey had never been translated or performed in Spanish. How was that possible? The Seanchaí in me had to step in to tell that key piece of Irish (hi)story to the Spanish. And so, the my official journey of the Seanachí started. As a note, my translation is currently being considered by a Spanish publisher, and all going well, the world might it out there by the end of 2025.

Have you got an idea or a project to bring the “Irishness” to Spain or vice versa? Then you might need the Seanchaí…