Famine play ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ starts tour in Mullingar

Enchanted Croí Theatre’s 14-venue nationwide tour of the new folk musical ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ begins on May 25 and 26 with performances at Mullingar Arts Centre.

After debuting to sold-out performances in the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park and the Roscommon Arts Centre in 2022, the full-scale musical now moves to theatres across Ireland between May and July this year.

Written by Amy Day and directed by Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ tells the story of tenants struggling to survive on the Strokestown estate at the height of the Great Famine in 1847. It is set against the backdrop of the real historical events surrounding the plot to assassinate Denis Mahon, the Strokestown landlord, and traces the story of the so-called “missing 1490” who left Strokestown, walked along the Royal Canal to Dublin and sailed for Canada as part of Mahon’s forced emigration scheme.

It is an empowering story of strength, loss, resilience, and family connection that has resonated deeply with audiences.

Three members of the cast have Westmeath ties.

Bláthnaid Daly, an actress and writer from Fore, portrays Nancy Duffy and Grace Mahon. Bláthnaid attended St Ernan’s NS, Delvin and Loreto College Mullingar before graduating from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2021. She received singing lessons from Dervilla Conlon Moloney and was a member of the Lynn Singers choir in Mullingar for many years.

She was a 2021 recipient of the Arts Council Agility Award to develop her one-woman bilingual Irish, English comedy ‘Connemarvellous,’ and has recently worked with Fíbín Theatre Company on productions of ‘An Triail’ and ‘Fionn agus an Brádan Feasa’.

“When a piece is as special as this one, you really want all your loved ones to be a part of it with you,” said Bláthnaid. “That’s why performing ‘In the Midst of Plenty’ at home in Westmeath is so important to me. I’m excited to perform in Mullingar Arts Centre again in front of friends, family, and other members of the community I loved growing up in.”

Neil FitzGibbon brings the musical to life as the fiddler in the live folk band. An Athlone native from a musical family, Neil descends from the Henshaws. His grandfather Billy was in Athlone musicals and played in Ciaran Kelly’s legendary ceili band in the 1960s. Now one of Ireland’s most sought-after trad fiddlers, Neil attended Marist College Athlone and later received a BA in Irish Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.

He appears frequently on TV and radio, has performed on a variety of the largest festival stages, toured extensively to venues abroad with multiple artists including the trad trio dBize, is a member of Athlone-based Siamsaíocht, and performs regularly with renowned artists including Tracy Bruen and Niall Teague.

Eoghan Burke (Fia Rua) is a Westmeath-based actor and musician who plays Fr Michael McDermott and Lord Palmerston in the show. Eoghan has released four albums, and tours as a folk singer. He has worked with Westmeath Libraries as a reader in residence and facilitator of workshops in podcasting, acting, music, and storytelling. He is also a tutor in music and drama with Westmeath Longford Educational Training Board and has made a well-received documentary on the Battery Belles, which focused on a group of Athlone women; the piece was launched in the Dean Crowe Theatre Athlone last year.

Daly, FitzGibbon, and Burke are joined by a large cast of actors and a live four-piece folk band. The cast includes Julie Sharkey (No Magic Pill), Martin Gilligan (Ros na Rún), Mary Claire Ryan (Banshees of Inisherin), Cian Hoyne (Vikings Valhalla), Áine O’Brien (Nationwide), Niall Brewster (Birds of Feather), Anne-Marie O’Sullivan (Enchanted Croí Theatre), and Ruairí Nicholl (Spring Awakening), and the band includes acclaimed folk artist Gráinne Hunt (recently supporting Glen Hansard and Declan O’Rourke), Jules Stewart, and Amy Day.

Enchanted Croí Theatre was founded in 2019 by Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, and in the last year has produced 11 theatrical events that have reached more than 4000 ticketed audience members.

Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, the show’s artistic director, said: “Beginning our tour in Mullingar is of great significance to the show. Mullingar is an historically important waypoint along the National Famine Way, the route that so many emigrants walked in search of survival during the time of an Gorta Mór. We are honoured to start our tour in the beautiful Mullingar Arts Centre.”

‘In the Midst of Plenty’ was developed with funding from the Roscommon County Council and the Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Its 2023 tour is made possible with support from the National Famine Way and the Irish Heritage Trust.

Tickets are available from Mullingar Arts Centre at 044 934 7777, via it website, or by at inthemidstofplenty.com.

The show will also tour to Cavan, Longford, Galway, Westport, Sligo, Donegal, Derry, Roscommon, Carlow, Waterford, Tipperary, and Dublin.