Sometimes, the little story meets the big one. Kelly Rivière, whose real name is Kelly Ruisseau, has always kept in her heart the (small) story of her Irish grandfather, who disappeared over thirty years ago while living in England with his wife. In her play An Irish Story, she dramatizes this family history in her own words, trying to retrace the steps of this absent grandfather whom no one talks about any more.
Peter O'Farrel was 19 years old when he left his small village in Southern Ireland in 1949 to find work in London, a common occurrence in the history of a country that for years had seen its population flee and, as a result, its colossal decline. Irish people left the country for the USA, England or even Australia, because there was no work in Ireland.
This was the case for Peter. He doesn't know it yet, but he'll never go back to Ireland, despite the terrible welcome he and all his compatriots received in England: " No blacks, no Irish, no dogs", read the placards. They mocked his accent, rejected his religion and called him a notorious alcoholic. Poverty was evident, his marriage was on the rocks and he had no money to support his five children. To forget, he goes away for a while, but always comes back. Until one day, he doesn't come back. Never again.
Kelly Rivière has immersed herself in a diverse bibliography, discography and filmography to inspire and question her subject. From Annie Ernaux to Verdi, via Max Richter, The Dubliners and William Butler Yeats. Music, books, poetry and film have fueled her research into her grandfather's country, to create a show that places both culture and language at the center of her attention, as we navigate between French and English, English from England and English from Ireland.
Dates and Opening Time
From February 11th, 2024 to June 19th, 2024
Location
Scala
188 bis, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris 1
Official website
lascala-paris.fr
