The new Irish musical that’ll take you straight back to the Gaeltacht
If you ever spent a summer in the Gaeltacht — waking up in a stranger’s spare room, frantically revising the Modh Coinníollach five minutes before class, and falling in love with someone whose name you could only just pronounce — this one is going to hit you squarely in the chest.
A brand new Irish-language musical called SAOIRSE is set to have its world premiere this July as part of the Galway International Arts Festival, and it sounds like the summer show we didn’t know we needed.
Céilís, first love, and the Modh Coinníollach
Presented by An Taibhdhearc — Ireland’s National Irish Language Theatre — SAOIRSE is set in the Kerry Gaeltacht and follows the arrival of the first summer of freedom for three girls: Saoirse, Róisín and Aoife. They’re grappling with life’s big questions. Who am I? Who stole my hair straightener? And what in the name of all that is holy is the Modh Coinníollach?
With a young queer love story at its heart, the show is funny, warm, and bursting with energy — performed live onstage by an ensemble of ten multi-talented actor-musicians. It also takes on some weightier themes: the rising cost of housing in Gaeltacht communities, second home ownership, and the very real threat that the Coláiste Samhraidh might not survive. There’s a lot packed into what is, at its core, a love letter to Irish summer colleges.
Writer and composer Shauna Carrick puts it simply: “This show is a love letter to the Irish colleges and Gaeltachts. I hope that it inspires nostalgia in us adults, but that it also reflects the lives of teenagers today as they learn more about their language, their relationships, and themselves.”
A seriously impressive team behind it
The creative team alone makes this a must-see. SAOIRSE is directed by Muireann Kelly and features choreography by Meadhbh Lyons, whose work on the Olivier award-winning The Curious Case of Benjamin Button you may well remember. Sound design and music supervision come from Michael John McCarthy, also Olivier-winning for Pride and Prejudice Sort Of. These are big names bringing serious craft to an Irish-language production, and that matters.
The cast is equally impressive. Ciara Cox plays Saoirse and will be familiar to many from TG4’s Saol Ella. Evanne Kilgallon — known from Obituary and Small Town Big Story — plays Róisín. There’s also Juliette Crosbie, who recently debuted with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Callum Maxwell from the West End production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Alongside them, sean-nós singer Síofra Ní Éilí plays Aoife, bringing a real traditional music thread to a show that is clearly building something special.
An Taibhdhearc’s Artistic Director and Co-CEO Muireann Kelly says: “We are so proud to finally share our exciting new musical SAOIRSE with audiences this summer at Galway International Arts Festival. Supporting and developing artists such as Shauna Carrick to produce vibrant and contemporary work is at the heart of our ambitions at An Taibhdhearc, as the National Irish Language Theatre.”
What you need to know before you go
The show runs from 10 to 26 July (previews on the 10th and 11th and opening night on 13 July) at An Taibhdhearc on Middle Street in Galway. Tickets are priced from €20 to €25 plus a booking fee, and they’re on sale now.
If Irish isn’t your strongest suit — or you’d simply like the comfort of knowing what’s being said — English closed captions are available through the Sibrwd app. Irish Sign Language (ISL) performances are scheduled for 25 and 26 July.
Whether you went to the Gaeltacht every summer or spent most of it wishing you could speak more than five words, SAOIRSE is shaping up to be one of the standout shows of the summer. Tickets and full details are available at antaibhdhearc.com/saoirse or by calling (091) 357 011.
