Donal O’Kelly performs in his one-man play, ‘Ailliliú Fionnuala’, directed by Sorcha Fox, at the Theatre Upstairs, Eden Quay, Dublin, 6th November 2012.
PHOTO: William Hederman
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Fionnuala
Donal O’Kelly’s Edinburgh Hit about the Shell Corrib gas project
* Scotsman Fringe First Award winner Edinburgh
* Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award nomination Edinburgh
* The Stage Best Solo Performance nomination Edinburgh
«The magnificent O’Kelly – one of Ireland’s most gifted writer-actors – succeeds in telling a story that is not only gripping, funny and full of a rich sense of Ireland’s great tradition of myth and legend, but also ruthlessly precise in its analysis of the deep malaise of 21st-century Ireland» FRINGE FIRST The Scotsman
“**** A Ridleyan blend of violence and folklore .. a deliciously exuberant performance” Financial Times
“Fionnuala cuts a swathe through Shell/State propaganda, allowing audiences to access the truth of what’s happening in North Mayo” Hot Press
Fionnuala
Donal O’Kelly’s solo show about the Shell gas project in Co. Mayo was a huge hit in Edinburgh 2013, winning a Scotsman Fringe First award, as well as being nominated for the Amnesty International Edinburgh Festival Freedom of Expression award and The Stage Best Solo Performance award.
Ambrose Keogh works for Shell in Ireland. When the Tunnel Boring Machine he named Fionnuala sinks into the bog in Mayo, he is magically confronted by Fionnuala, the swan-child from the ancient legend The Children of Lir. Fionnuala puts a geas (spell) on him – he’s bound to tell what he knows about attacks on opponents of the Mayo Shell gas project. During his ordeal, Ambrose comes face to face with his school classmate Malachy, and echoes from the past resound.
«The magnificent O’Kelly – one of Ireland’s most gifted writer-actors – succeeds in telling a story that is not only gripping, funny and full of a rich sense of Ireland’s great tradition of myth and legend, but also ruthlessly precise in its analysis of the deep malaise of 21st-century Ireland» FRINGE FIRST The Scotsman
“**** A Ridleyan blend of violence and folklore .. a deliciously exuberant performance” Financial Times
“Fionnuala cuts a swathe through Shell/State propaganda, allowing audiences to access the truth of what’s happening in North Mayo” Hot Press
“A masterpiece of modern theatre that assuredly belongs in the tradition of great Irish writing” Three Weeks Edinburgh
“O’Kelly casts his own magic” The Stage UK
Previous solo shows by Donal O’Kelly include the award-winning Catalpa, Bat The Father Rabbit The Son and Jimmy Joyced!, all of which toured extensively throughout the world. His play Little Thing, Big Thing was a hit in Edinburgh 2015 and plays New York in September. His play The Cambria about Frederick Douglass played New York and won the Irish Echo/Amsterdam News Black and Green award. His radio drama serial Francisco won the 2013 Prix Europa for Best Drama Serial and the Gold Medal for Best Drama Special in the 2014 New York International Festival of Radio. NRK have recorded his radio adaptation of Fionnuala in Norwegian for broadcast later this year.