Iomándraíocht

Cath Fionn Trá:

The Battle of Ventry retold in an immersive performance of dance, ritual, hurling, wrestling, drum, flute and voice.

Creative Director and Choreographer of this community participation project.

Cath Fionn Trá was a collaboration of five dancers, 30 hurlers, six musicians and one storyteller. We gathered on Fionn Trá on May Day with little rehearsal and a lot of faith in front of a crowd of 400 people to re-enact that mythical battle when the armies of the world invaded Ireland at Ventry and some say it lasted a hundred and one days and others say a hundred and one years and all say we defeated the Armies of the World.

''When the bones of the warriors

have been ground to sand

when descendants of plenty

come again stick in hand

the battle will again be fought

and the crown again be sought

In the deepest darkest place

where the Divil himself holds space'

'-SdP

Five Rhythms as Gaeilge and a choreography. Five distinct tracks in the Five Rhythms of Chaos, Sticatto, Lyrical and the Stillness, a caoineadh of the Créd.

We composed a dance then to the sun and the sea, a Bealtaine offering to that special place that had nurtured us. Fionn Trá Beach and on that day, we were the Tuatha dé Dannan reborn.