Nights Out At, The Liverpool Irish Festival

Green and Blue by Kabosh Theatre company based in Belfast was incredible with a Q and A and I’m still processing the experience. It is not just a voice for the people of Ireland North and South of the border but its incredibly apt for conflicts across the World and communities that have complex and difficult relationships with the Police Force.

The performance with the same cast was first performed in 2016. This Play has been performed all over the world in all manner of venues to critical acclaim.

It was simple yet powerful. A simple set with a backdrop of clear plastic vertical slatted sheets whereby images of the inside of a heart, a shaky woman mourning atrocities and a menace dog on the border.

Each police officer was stood apart from each other or sat on a stool. The Northern Irish Officer was the only one with a baton. Hinting at the violence to come. The Garda Officer was at first portrayed as a Country bumpkin, his tone was slow and unhurried and in contrast, the Northern Irish Officers tone was short, shrill and fast. At first it was rather inane border issues and miscommunication over the cb radio. They each taken about their County’s History and as time went on, both began to wonder why they believed what they did. Innocuous conversations, miscommunications and comical drink smuggling over the border was soon replaced by an ear shattering, soul splintering sound of a bomb going off. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and my whole body tingled. It was a high pitched squeal ( the air being sucked out of a room) then bang. The radio account by an officer playing over and over ( symbolic of the never ending killings). In that moment they were both united in the fact that both sides suffered catastrophic loss.

There was a hint at what was to come when both officers were under taking border checks separately and the Northern Irish Officer matter of factly showing a bullet that would blow your brains out ( there was the image of blood vessels projected behind).

The border is a Country with 300 miles of border when it only needs 100 and as the performance progresses, it can be seen that nothing is simple in this Countrys History. There are 2 rights. Not a right and a wrong. Both are upholding their “Country”. The Northern Irish RUC Officer is keen not to take sides and remain as impartial as possible. They met in person and became friendly. Each comically walks into each other’s Country and each states it doesn’t look any different.

The ultimate and heartbreaking finale is the Garda Officer being killed on the North Side of the border when they are meeting for the first time. The RUC Officer is visibly upset and this begins a life of processing decades of grief and isolated from his family, not being able to have a local pub. Always a visitor and not seen as human by the public. He takes off his uniform and looks so vulnerable. Who is he? Where does he fit in this new Ireland? He relocates to Dublin for work without a Uniform and there is a kind of freedom for him. Meeting the Gardas family and telling them his last words were “ One day, I’ll.... “... Unfinished. Just like his life and the story of Ireland.

This powerful play has been funded by Arts organisations both North and South of the border. It was simply to actors, one in Blue as a Garda Officer and an officer in Green as the Northern Ireland officer for the now defunct RUC, who were mostly reviled by both sides of the community and the Garda officer who were even further isolated geographically from home than their Northern Irish counterparts and were actually given food by the Irish Army.

As a creative, it was very interesting for me to see how the company works with sensitive issues and in the q and A, the Creative Artistic Director explained, how they work only with original work that meet particular criteria. The main aim is for it to be educational and to challenge societal norms ( there was a survey in the programme to see if perceptions of the police changed after the performance and there was a choice to join the mailing list).

It was researched thoroughly. The script was created by using real life accounts of the police officers. It was peer reviewed by all sides of the divide and there were heated debates as Paula McFeteridge, the Creative Director explained.

The play has traveled well across the World. Some audience members noted echoes of their own countries’ turbulent past, for example, Germany and America. Some people from the North came to watch the play for fear of recrimination from their community just because they decided to watch it. This Play is about making sense of something people just didn’t talk about and don’t want to pass the “currency of pain on” to the next generation.

I felt like both sides of my identity were woven a little more tightly together having watched this play. My Britishness and Irishness are full of contradictions. But that’s OK. Also, it shows the audience the dangers of keeping communities separate, thus fuelling distrust with disastrous consequences and it is eerily apt considering we are witnessing 2 catastrophic wars currently on the World stage.

I would say, watch this Theatre Company and what it produces. They are doing great work for the community, for new writers and educating people. Theatre shows both sides without prejudice and allows us to make up our own minds. That is why the art of live theatre is powerful and transformative and encourages much needed healing conversations.

Yeats to Music as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival at LEAF 

 Whilst most people were trick or treating or going to Halloween parties, I was being entertained by delightfully different Belgian group Brandies Band and Accapella group Factor 7. Some met whilst they were studying at The University of Antwerp and were taught by notable academic Brendan Kennedy who sadly died a few years ago. Yeats loved nature and I duly noted the band were all wearing earthy colours.  What they are doing isn’t really new, In a sense as Yeats actually wrote poems for music and that’s when members of the group became alive to the idea. They enthusiastically shared stories of his life, his loves, his losses and his enduring interest in the occult. 

They sang some of his most famous poems. “ The Lake of Innisfree” and “An Irish Airman Forsees his own Death” which were particularly poignant considering what is going on in the World. 

 The band had so much energy, knowledge, and love of Yeats and there was lots of audience participation. It is really a powerful thing to see Irish culture being loved by other nations. They are human stories. Most notably,  unrequited love. His love for Maude Gonne who rejected Yeats's proposals four times. And said, “Poets don’t marry ..and the World will thank me one day”.  

 You could tell the band were very excited to be in Liverpool and at the Festival and made several references to The Beatles. 

 After an hour of education about Yeats life interests and music there was a glorious and somewhat unexpected acapella rendition of “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. I really didn’t want the night to end. I was a little sad it wasn’t better attended as they absolutely shone, they really did! The band were off busking in Liverpool in the days after and they also performed at The World Irish Heritage Centre in Manchester before they were off to the States. 

They are another group I will be keeping an eye on. Its also a bonus that they are such lovely and down to earth people as I found out chatting to them afterwards. I told them they must come back and perform next Year! 

 More can be found out about the band and their music at brandiesband.com 

Words by Clare McGrath