UCC Alum Brendan Duffin Premieres GOLL at Cork Arts Theatre

GOLL explores the medieval origin story of Ireland and its first two inhabitants, Fintan macBóchra and Cessair...

The performance adapts six medieval stories associated with the oldest seanchaí and shape shifter Fintan macBóchra into six episodes of music, poetry, film, storytelling and dance...an experimental folk opera and collaboration between Cork City based band MacBóchra and Strive Theatre.

Throughout medieval literature Fintan appears as Ireland’s oldest seanchaí, oldest breitheamh and oldest file...a repository of Ireland's most ancient traditions and histories. Medieval literature depicts him as the sole survivor of the Biblical flood, living on as salmon, eagle and hawk, and as sole witness to the various migrations (Partholónian, Nemedian, Fir Bolg, Tuatha Dé Danann, Gael) to Ireland throughout the millennia.

The performance is bilingual, containing sections in old, middle and modern Irish. It is a culmination of eight years research and is contemporary interpretation of Gaelic medieval literature, featuring music by award winning folk band MacBóchra and a shadow puppetry sequence based on Dr. Emma Níc Cárthaigh's (senior lecturer in Early and Medieval Irish, UCC) new translation of the Middle Irish text 'The Colloquy of Fintan and The Hawk of Achill'.

Here is an interview from the Irish Examiner with scriptwriter Brendan Duffin talking about the development process that began while studying folklore and music at UCC: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41915617.html

GOLL runs at Cork Arts Theatre, 2-4 October.