Entertainment
Galway’s shame comes under the spotlight in US premiere of play
Lifestyle – Judy Murphy travelled to Denver in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies to see a production of ‘Stained Glass at Samhain’
It’s a long way from Galway to Denver, Colorado – 4,310 miles to be precise but that distance narrowed significantly last week as the University of Colorado Denver staged the American premiere of Galway writer Patricia Burke Brogan’s play, Stained Glass at Samhain.
Audiences in America’s Rocky Mountains region got a glimpse into Ireland’s infamous Magdalen laundries thanks to this production, which was accompanied by a series of talks and information evenings on these institutions, which destroyed the lives of thousands of innocent Irish women.
Patricia Burke Brogan is best known for the groundbreaking play, Eclipsed, which was first produced in 1992 here in Galway and which had a major role in highlighting the terrible wrongs done to women in Ireland’s Magdalen laundries.
In recent times, there has been huge coverage of these religious run institutions, but in 1992, little was known about them. Eclipsed, by Patricia, a former novice in Galway’s Mercy convent, helped change that. It has been translated into many languages from French to Japanese, and been performed all over the world, with a new production scheduled for Peru next year. It premiered in New York in 1999 when it was staged by the Irish Repertory Theatre, a production described by the New York Times as a ‘sad but quietly charming play’.
Stained Glass at Samhain, which premiered at Galway’s Town Hall Theatre in 2002, deals with the same subject but from the point of view of an elderly, compassionate nun. This nun, Sr Luke returns from the dead to visit the site of a former convent and laundry during the Celtic feast of Samhain as the buildings are being demolished to make way for the ‘Celtic Tiger’ boom. She shares her life story with the audience via a series of monologues while also interacting with the church authorities, the penitent women and the young, progressive convent chaplain.
The US premiere of Stained Glass at Samhain was performed last week by students at University of Denver Colorado, under the direction of Dr Eileen Kearney, an authority on women in Irish theatre. Eileen did her PhD on the Waterford born playwright Teresa Deevy, who had six of her works staged at the Abbey Theatre in the 1930s, before a more conservative regime at the national theatre broke its links with her. Deevy is now an almost forgotten name in Irish theatre.
Given both Eileen’s Christian and surname, it’s no surprise to learn that the New York-born director and drama lecturer has strong Irish links – to Mayo and Cork – and is familiar with the traditions of the Catholic Church. Eileen was taught by Catholic nuns, she explained, and that experience was a help in directing Stained Glass, as her early education gave her an insight into how they operated.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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