Carla O’Brien – Journalist and Irish Television Presenter.
“I was deeply moved by the conversations that you can see and hear happening on stage, to me this is Irish art in one of its truest forms.”
“Yes, this may be a story about Irish women, but this is a story that will resonate across the world.”
Dr. Síofra Aiken – Senior Lecturer, Queen’s University, Belfast
“What we have here in this production is this hidden history coming onto stage, you can see the power of art, of dance, of music to bring these stories to life.”
Mná na hÉireann will present Irish traditional dance through the addition of contemporary flair and a non-traditional theatre setting, while telling the compelling story of these wonderful women, long excluded from the existing narrative, through exciting and creative choreography, supported by evocative music composition, narration, poetry and song.
With this holistic vision, we will bring our audiences on a journey into the lives of these women and the history of so many of the Irish Diaspora worldwide while also appealing to those families here in Ireland who continue to recount the stories of their grandmothers, grandaunts and female family relatives.
Together with an exceptional inter-disciplinary creative team of freelance artists, with proven track records, we have created a performance of scale. For the 2019 showcase, movement director Ella Clarke worked with Michael Patrick Gallagher and Carol to explore the dance choreography before adding the movement in each scene. Our theatrical director and dramaturg Declan Gorman wrote and adapted spoken word texts and narration responding to the choreography and the stunning new score by composer Áine McGeeney.
In July 2019, during workshop rehearsals, the dance, movement music and storytelling came together in a collaborative and organic process. The narration, poetry and music elements effectively supported the dance and movement through each scene. Now with new Visual Set Design by COSMOAV, Lighting design by Sonya Fossett, Costume Design by Thérèse McKeone for the 2026 production, Mná will realise its full unique and ambitious potential, ensuring a quality and standard production.
