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2019 County Mayo Producers

28th,

August Kathy Fahey And Michael

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EXAMINER Hannon Brew An Abstract

IRISH Recollection of The Great

Famine In “Fainne Oir”

By Brad Balfour Potato Famine devastates ing measures in complete solidly a reality once Kathy sends loving letters home to
cauldron of creativ- the island and the West disarray. began working on after her family, looking forward
ity, Ireland provides Country where Mayo is situ- “Through music and being commissioned in 2017. to when they all can be
Aa natural opportu- ated. Parents Sean and Maire dance, we watch as I felt there had be some kind together. New tragedy
nity for a creative indi- O’Malley and their five Diarmuid makes a promise of celebration of the Irish strikes with her father’s
vidual to brew a mixed daughters — Saoirse, Mary, to Saoirse that he will pro- people tale of survival during death. In Ireland, Diarmuid
arts concept — and that Ann, Norah and Brid — rise tect and love her forever. such a dark time. I felt it stands by his promise to love
again has happened. dily to toil in the fields. Their However, nothing can undo would be inspirational for so and protect Saoirse— and
Blending music, dance — oldest daughter, Saoirse, and the blight’s damage and many today.” care for the now orphaned
through “Lord of The farm hand Diarmuid, works soon, without their suste- We watch the heartbro- O’Malley sisters. As the
Dance” star Ciara Sexton late into the evenings so the nance, people go hungry and ken O’Malley family and worst of the famine passes,
choreography — and the two can be near to each starve. Saoirse’s mum suc- Diarmuid wave Saoirse off at there is hope for the future
creative stage design of other for as long as possible. cumbs and dies at of 37; the the pier as she boards the and plans are made to bring
fine artist Padraig When the destructive blight O’Malleys are heartbroken. ship to America — wonder- the remaining O’Malleys to
McCaul, the multi-media hits, the O’Malley’s small Saoirse’s father, a farmer ing if their love will make its America; Samuel wants to
experience of “Fainne holding, located in a rural with just one cow and don- way across the vast ocean. As help but Diarmuid also longs
Oir” will make its part of County Mayo, is key remaining, sell a pre- the outline further expli- to be with his true love.
American debut in badly affected.” cious gold wedding ring — cates, “In Part 2, Saoirse Money changes hands, tick-
Symphony Space on Paraphrasing this note of the Fainne Oir — in order to must forge a successful ets are bought and the magi-
September 26, 2019. history from Wikipedia, buy Saoirse a one-way ticket future in a land of promise, cal Fainne Oir once more
Since creator/composer Ireland grew to over eight to America. Despite her away from her famine-ridden appears, and ultimately the
Kathy Fahey is County million people prior to the protestations, her dad insists homeland. Fortunately, the story ends on a soaring note
Mayo based, she could Irish Great Famine of the family can manage.” 18-year old finds immediate of love and happiness.”
not only draw on local 1845–47. People depended Like so many true Irish employment, working as the Fahey was ultimately
talents, but it also on the potato crop for suste- diaspora stories, she Johnson family’s maid – who became inspired to write the
meant she could employ nance so disaster struck in becomes a symbol for count- make her feel welcome – storyline for Fainne Oir. In
the beauty of its pastoral August 1845, when a killer less survival tales. Diaspora especially son Samuel. While the rise and fall of the orches-
landscape. All of that — fungus (later diagnosed as specialist Mike Hannon her heart remains in Ireland, tral music she was compos-
and the dark history of Phytophthora infestans) decided to produce “Fainne Samuel shows her around ing: “From the start the idea
the region — lent to the started destroying the crop. Oir” but it “became more New York, nonetheless, she was for the Irish Famine to
passion behind this Widespread famine struck,
work. about a million people died
Paraphrasing the detailed and a further million left the
notes, “This show depicts country. The catastrophe
the story of an Irish family was particularly bad in
during the Famine Years of County Mayo, where nearly
1845-1848. As parents, chil- 90% of the people depended
dren, friends and neighbors on the potato as their staple.
work together to survive off By 1848, Mayo was a county
the sparse land through the of total misery and despair,
life-giving potato crop, the with any attempts at alleviat-
Peter Norton
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