Sun. 20th. March – Butt Drama Circle – “Stolen Child” – Yvonne Quinn/Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
One of the best new works for Irish stage in many years, funny-sad and packing an emotional punch.
Set in 1990, it tells of a young woman’s journey to find her natural mother and to confront her true identity.
At the age of 39 and mourning the death of her adoptive mother, Angela sets out to discover her roots.
She enlists the help of a shambolic Privet Detective, Mick Tracey, whose irrelevant humour and hard-drinking lifestyle mask a deep understanding of human frailty.
Together they unravel the harrowing story of the mothers upbringing by nuns in a 1940′s orphanage and the harsh facts surrounding the enfirced adoption of her newborn baby.
Parallel to Angela’s quest is a heart breaking personal story of Peggy, the mother, who lives alone in a Manchester bedsit and who must now come face to face with the daughter who was taken from her 3 decades earlier.
What begins as a personal odyssey for Angela to discover the secrets of her family history soon becomes a fascinating exploration of one of the darkest chapters in the history of modern Ireland.
Butt Drama Circle – “Stolen Child” – Yvonne Quinn/Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
Butt Drama Circle – “Stolen Child” – Yvonne Quinn/Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
Butt Drama Circle – “Stolen Child” – Yvonne Quinn/Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
Butt Drama Circle – “Stolen Child” – Yvonne Quinn/Bairbre Ni Chaoimh
Just come home from ‘stolen child’ in Wexford Opera house.So poignant,people think it’s so long ago ,but only in 1986 when i was 17 pregnant,doing the leaving and living with my ultra conservative Catholic repressed parents,i was sent to the good sheperd Convent,Dunboyne,co Meath,and let me tell you that there was nothing good about it!ironically it has been converted into a 5 star hotel,hard to imagine!So,this excellently performed play struck a chord within me.Having had my son ,Bjorn (Abba,tennis fan!)in Holles street hosp Sept 8th 1986,i was sent to a mother/baby unit on Eglinton Road.My father had threatened to kill both myself and my son with his shotgun ,prompting round clock security,saying he would rather burn in hell for all eternity rather than see me live with my bastard son(his words).Fortunately ,i’ve lived to tell the tale,i went on to study Pharmacy in Trinity,and my son is now 24.The church in Ireland have so much to answer for .Anyway ,i so much enjoyed tonight and it triggered many memories.Fantastic work.Lorna