Afri is proud to be associated once again with the new run of Ailliliú Fionnuala, written and performed by Donal O’Kelly, directed by Sorcha Fox, designed by Robert Ballagh and presented by Benbo Productions.
Ailliliú Fionnuala takes place on the shore of Sruwaddaconn Estuary in Erris, North Mayo, where the Shell high-pressure raw gas pipeline is under construction.
Ambrose Keogh works for Shell. When the Tunnel Boring Machine he named Fionnuala sinks into the bog, he comes face to face with Fionnuala of the Children of Lir herself in a fairy fort. Fionnuala puts a geas (spell) on him – he’s bound to tell the truth about Shell’s operations in Erris, such as the attack on Willie Corduff in the Shell site at Glengad. During his ordeal, Ambrose comes face to face with his primary school classmate, Malachy Downes, now an anti-pipeline activist, and echoes from the past resound.
Ambrose Keogh was the silent minion in Donal O’Kelly’s international success Bat The Father Rabbit The Son, premiered by Rough Magic in 1988, and touring to acclaim in Edinburgh, New York and Australia. A quarter of a century later, Keogh’s found his niche in the corridors of power, at the heart of the Shell/Corrib gas project.
“Cuts a swathe through Shell/State propaganda, allowing audiences to access the truth of what’s happening in North Mayo” ~ Hot Press
“A stirring piece of theatre” ~ Irish Theatre Magazine
“Highly entertaining while packing a punch” ~ Exeunt Magazine
“O’Kelly performs superbly” ~ Sunday Independent
“Digs for truth beneath the controversies” ~ Irish Times
“Why a drill and a play are at the centre of Irish democracy”~ Irish Independent
For more details on this event, please see our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/466028566766408/
Where: Theatre Upstairs, Lanigans, Eden Quay, Dublin 1.
When: 2 shows daily, at 1pm and at 6.30pm Monday 7th January – Saturday 12th January 2013.
To book: Please contact The Theatre Upstairs directly – by email theatreupstairs@gmail.com or by phoning 085 727 375.
Tickets cost €10 (or €8 concessionary rate).
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