Carrigaholt stages Famine re-enactment

THE square in Carrigaholt teemed with people and rain last Friday night as the Crack’d Spoon Theatre Group staged a re-enactment of Famine scenes.
The actors were dressed in costumes contemporary to Famine times at the event, which marked the start of the National Famine Commemoration in West Clare. Part of the scene involved the local landlord family being introduced to the crowd and sitting down to dinner, while impoverished children and their families looked on.
The civic reception was staged by local landlords Westby, Burton and McDonnell for Crofton Moore Vandeleur and his wife, Grace Toler.
As Carrigaholt was the last port of call for the ill-fated immigrant ship, The Edmund, intending passengers were depicted queuing for tickets in the square. Research in the lead-up to the Famine Commemoration has thrown light on twilight vigilantes variously named The Rockites, Lady Clare Boys, White Boys and Terry Alts, which were agrarian secret societies who met after dark and dressed in terrifying costumes to take revenge against landlord collaborators. Their arrival at the re-enactment in Carrigaholt lent a dramatic dimension to proceedings.
Dave Donnelly, who lives in Kilbaha, was one of the organisers of the Crack’d Spoon production, while three of his children were among the actors. Dave’s daughter, Clara, played Miss Kennedy, while his other daughter, May, played Grace Vandeleur and his son, Misha, was part of the upper class.
“I only got involved with Crack’d Spoon last year. I brought my daughter, who always wanted to act and eventually, I got involved myself. My background is in community development in Finglas,” Dave told The Clare Champion in the pouring rain last Friday evening.
“We moved down here three years ago. We live in Doonaha and it’s the best thing we ever did. I had 10 years’ experience working in the community sector in Finglas but I had never tried drama before. This is just ideal. We can tackle so many different issues,” he added.
Dave said all the participants were eager to take part in the depiction.
“We gave people characters. It was all improvised. We set up a few scenes and it all come together, although I don’t think the upper class would have been standing out in the rain, whatever about the paupers,” he laughed.
“I find the Famine research fascinating and it has a resonance today. We hear about people not being able to pay their mortgages and being evicted,” he reflected.