New famine musical to help explore and heal ‘deep ancestral wound’

A brand new musical which will come to venues in Donegal in the coming months tells the story of the Irish famine through the lives of those most deeply affected. 

This brave production takes what its producer describes as ‘a deep, ancestral wound’ and unflinchingly places it centre stage. But it makes the pain and horror bearable through compelling storytelling and a beautiful acoustic folk score that is performed live and is composed very much with healing in mind. 

Written by Amy Day and directed and produced by Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, founder of Enchanted Croí Theatre in Roscommon, this is no clichéd famine story.

It is multi-layered, thoroughly researched and an important contribution to Ireland’s cultural canon.

The title In The Midst of Plenty is a stark reminder that during the years of the famine, there was no shortage of food in Ireland. 

“We don’t mention potatoes once, and that is intentional,” said Anne-Marie. “This is a story of love, a story of desperation. There are themes of utter wealth and decadence versus impoverishment and poverty, and it is a triumph of the human spirit.

“It breaks down all of those horrific laws that had been put in place in Ireland that made sure that the poor had no chance of survival because everything was stacked against them. 

“Tons of food were being carted out of the country.”

It was important to Anne Marie that this production would act as a living memorial to those who lost their lives at that time, and that it would mark a major point in history. 

“The musical tells the story of the first recorded assassination of a landlord during famine times,” she said.

“It is centred around the lives of a small community in a townland in County Roscommon. It follows them through their journey of overcoming hardship and it encapsulates what levels of desperation and impoverishment they experience.

“The challenges of their human relationships are brought to breaking point because of the hardship they are facing.

“The musical follows their journey as events unfold. They are finally evicted off the land in May 1947, when they walk from Strokestown all the way to Dublin to board the coffin ship.”

In The Midst Of Plenty brings to life the exhibitions in the National Famine Museum in Strokestown. 

According to the programme: “Set against the backdrop of the plot to assassinate Major Denis Mahon, the landlord of the Strokestown Estate, the  piece grapples with history’s unanswerable questions: What do friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption mean for those who make heartbreaking choices so that they may protect their own?”

And it challenges audiences to question themselves: “What would you sacrifice for the sake of those you love the most?”

Those are the challenges facing Bridget Connor, a tenant on the Strokestown estate, as she struggles to protect her family from the forces of starvation, eviction, and emigration.

Everything in this production has meaning, and the creative storytelling has extended to the finer details of costume design. 

One example of this is a shawl worn by one of the characters.

Anne-Marie said: “There is a memorial in Strokestown to 1,490 emigrants forced to leave. There are no names of women on it so I named them on the shawl.”

Actor Martin Gilligan plays the role of landlord Denis Mahon. His waistcoat is made of petitions sent to him by his tenants, begging for mercy. 

“It was a huge deal to be able to write a petition at that time,” said Anne-Marie. “The red seals on these petitions become the bullet wounds when he is assassinated.”

Enchanted Croí Theatre’s nationwide tour of In The Midst Of Plenty begins in May, with two dates in Donegal among four in the north west this June.

Booking information and further details are available via www.inthemidstofplenty.com

North west dates:

June 16: Hawks Well Theatre, Sligo

June 17: Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey

June 18: Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon

June 19: Waterside Theatre, Derry