Preeminent seanchaí and the founder of the Sneem Storytelling Festival, Batt Burns, has died.
Mr Burns grew up in the South Kerry village with his grandparents, who introduced him to craft of storytelling.
He performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. on St. Patrick's Day in 2002 .
A retired teacher, he won the Storytelling World Award in 2010.
In 2012, he established the Sneem International Storytelling and Folklore Festival, which now attracts tourists from across the world.
He was also prominent in GAA circles.
Batt won the Fexco Kerry Hero Award on Radio Kerry in 2022.
Jimmy Deenihan was the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the Sneem International Storytelling Festival began:
Organisers of the Sneem International Storytelling Festival also paid tribute to Mr Burns this afternoon.
They described him as "a major figure in South Kerry traditional culture and … the entire storytelling community".
