For The Love of Mary
For The Love of Mary
Thanks for coming to see the show, or for seeking out more information about the project.
Below are some links to the various elements of the project.
This For The Love of Mary Podcast was funded by Arts Council of Northern Ireland through the Support for the Individual Artist Programme.
It tracks my journey to finding the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the position of women in Ireland. It is told through the conversations and stories shared with some of the most amazing women on this island.
My practice as an artist is very much founded in the idea of gathering the stories of women and this project started with, wouldn’t it be great craic if… I then spent a year travelling around the country, meeting with women, and having great conversations. The research that followed those conversations and the paths that it took me on are the foundation of the show.
I had no script, no questions drafted, everything that you will hear is entirely responsive. Enjoy!
If you would like to read more about the project, the original exhibition that happened and see how it developed over the years, you can check out through the link below.
We made a mobile phone app… that’s right, me and the code monkey made an app that you can download onto your phone and through it, you can send your petition to one of the Marys that lives on my mantlepiece. These Marys had been gifted to me over the course of the project.
The app was inspired by the petition kiosk that I had as part of the exhibition, only this time, I wanted to save the petitions anonymously. These were then incorporated into the visuals for the show. Thank you to everyone who has downloaded the app so far. Currently it is only available for Android devices, but we are working on making it available for iOS.
You can download it from the Google Play Store here.
** we’re currently in the process of updating the app and will hopefully be adding new features soon.
The final piece of the show, Dearest Women is performed entirely as Gaeilge. It is Mary’s prayer to the women of Ireland for all of the atrocities committed against them, in her name. I wrote the piece in English and the wonderful Sara Ní Chuireáin translated it for me.
The piece was originally written as part of a triptych for the exhibition and is now one of three prayers offered by Mary in the show.
I had already been learning Irish but took two years to learn this piece. Not just phonetically, but actually learning it. Which, might sound easier than it is. I know, I know, I wrote the piece. But honestly, I now know the piece better in Irish than I do in English.
I didn’t want to provide subtitles for this during the performance, so if you’re curious about the English version. The video is below. Thanks for watching.
