As part of the 2016 Decade of Centenaries Public Engagement Programme, novelist, playwright and poet, Dermot Bolger is writer in residence at the National Museum of Ireland. The residency is a collaborative project between the National Museum of Ireland and Poetry Ireland. Finding A Voice: Dermot Bolger Writer in Residence aims to engage a wide range of audiences in themes and object histories that form the core of the museum's centenary exhibition Proclaiming A Republic: The 1916 Rising.
As part of this programme there will be two events in the Museum of Country Life on Saturday August 14. The first of these will be a performance of Hairy Jaysus from 2pm to 3pm. One of the most tragic figures killed during the Easter Rising was the pacifist, feminist and socialist Francis Sheehy Skeffington, who suffered a summary execution by a deranged British officer. The award-winning playwright and actor Donal O’Kelly – one of Ireland’s most acclaimed theatre practitioners – has crafted a new one man 50 minute play, Hairy Jaysus, which examines Francis Sheehy Skeffington’s legacy as viewed through the eyes of a Dublin street beggar today. This event is a rare opportunity for an Irish audience to see O’Kelly’s performance of Hairy Jaysus, which opened in New York in April 2016. Booking is required: (094 ) 9031751 or by emailing [email protected].
The next event will be Writing the Past: An Afternoon in Conversation with Dermot Bolger and Donal O’Kelly, which will take place from 3.45pm to 4.45pm on Saturday August 14. Bolger will then interview Donal O’Kelly about his career as a writer deeply engaged with social and historical issues and themes. This will grow into a general discussion with the audience about the process of writing about the past, while making it resonate with modern day life. Booking is also required by calling (094 ) 9031751 or by emailing [email protected].
