IRISH actor Stephen Rea is among the cast of a new show inspired by a tragic shipwreck off the coast of Ireland.
Ocean Child will get its London premiere at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith in November as part of the venue’s 30th anniversary programme.
The piece brings together contemporary classical music, traditional Irish music and poetic narrative to tell the story of the sinking of the RMS Tayleur off Dublin’s Lambay Island on January 21, 1854.
Ocean Child will run at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith in NovemberThe clipper had left Liverpool on January 19 on its maiden voyage to Australia only to run aground in Irish waters two days later. Of the more than 650 people aboard only 280 survived.
The tragedy is recalled in Ocean Child, which has been composed and written by Belfast-born cellist Neil Martin.
It is performed by the West Ocean String Quartet, which comprises violinists Aoife Ní Bhriain, Niamh Crowley, Kenneth Rice and Martin on cello.
They will be joined by sisters Louise and Michelle Mulcahy, on the pipes and harp respectively, and the performance includes narration by Oscar-nominated Rea, who has starred in the likes of The Crying Game, Michael Collins and V for Vendetta.
Rea voices the Ocean Child in the show, a figure described as “a poetic creation evoking themes of memory, exile, and the vast power of the sea”.
“Ocean Child encapsulates everything the ICC stands for: artistic excellence, cross-cultural dialogue, and a commitment to work that transcends cultural and disciplinary boundaries,” William Foote, Centre Director at the ICC, said this week.
“We are immensely excited to host this spectacular show here in Hammersmith,” he added.
The ICC performances of Ocean Child, which take place on November 8 and 9, are the only London performances scheduled for the show.
For further information and tickets click here.
