Birr Stage Guild And The E.S.B
Spark It Off
Birr stage guild is delighted to announce that the E.S.B will be sponsoring the
Irish amateur premier of “The Wiremen” at Birr theatre and arts centre this
March. Written by Shay Healey this witty musical explores the effect of rural
electrification on a small village in the west of Ireland in the mid-fifties.
This faintly recorded part of Irish rural history is brought to light in Shay
Healeys magnificent musical.
The rural electrification scheme was started just sixty four years ago and has
been described as the greatest social revolution in Ireland since the Land
Reforms of the 1880’s and 1890’s which gave farmers the right to purchase land.
Shay Healey celebrated as both a television personality, a journalist, a radio
presenter, a performer, a singer, a magazine editor, a Eurovision winning
songwriter, a film-maker, a record producer, a recording artist, a novelist, a
photographer, and a playright was intrigued by this period. “In reading about
it, I became fascinated by the extraordinary vision and industry of the
engineers and the labourers, who journeyed into the four corners of Ireland to
bring power to remote communities and changed Ireland forever.”
According to the E.S.B archives the Rural Electrification Programme was planned
on an area basis and for this purpose the country was divided into 792 areas.
The scheme was so successful that by 1965, almost 300,000 rural houses (81% of
the total) were connected to the supply system at a total cost of £36 million.
The rapid economic developments of the 1960’s created a surge in demand for new
connections in rural areas and by the late seventies almost 98% of the country
had supply at a cost of about £90 million. Without this revolution Ireland could
not have been an active member of the European union and would not have
experienced the economic prosperity during the Celtic tiger period.
The period of rural electrification touched on the lives of so many Irish
people. Shay describes how he researched “The Wiremen - “I imagined what it must
have been like when a bunch of noisy strangers came bustling into a small
village, creating a kind of excitement and even turmoil, creating jealousy and
tension, as they brought with them the light that would banish the dark shadows
of ignorance and poverty from rural Ireland.” Shay’s family background provided
inspiration for the musical with both parents rooted in Gaelic traditions. His
mother was a great singer and his father an actor from Co.Mayo, was renowned for
his recitations of Gaelic poetry. Shay feels their presence in “The Wiremen”
which he describes as “a distillation of love and appreciation for his rural
Irish background”.
Shay will be present on both the opening and closing nights of the musical and
has added extra music especially for the Birr production! The E.S.B will display
an exhibition of the history of rural electrification in the theatre during the
musical. Rural electrification continues to touch the lives of people in the
midland counties today as many of the electricity networks erected by the E.S.B
in the days of rural electrification have recently been replaced and upgraded.
“The Wiremen” brings to life a crucial period in rural Irish history through
music, song and dance.
Tickets are now available for The Wiremen, which will be staged from
March 16th – 20th at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre.
Box Office is open 1-5.30pm Mon-Fri; 4-6pm on Sat/Sun if there is a performance
that night. Call 057-9122911. Laser Cards accepted. You can also book online at
www.birrtheatre.com
Price of tickets :€18, concession :€16 (Wednesday only),preview Monday 15th: €14