Powerful play by NI Mother and Baby home survivor aims to dispel shame

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A powerful new play written by a survivor of a mother and baby institution aims to dispel shame and address trauma faced by women in the system that forced young unmarried mothers to give up their babies.

The Marian Hotel is a moving drama based on the real-life experiences of the writer, Caitriona Cunningham, who gave birth to her daughter in the Marianvale home in Newry.

Produced by Derry-based theatre company Sole Purpose, the play opened in September and will tour venues in Newry, Derry, Letterkenny, Strabane and Belfast.

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The play is set in 1979 against the backdrop of the Troubles and follows 19-year-old Kitty from Derry who goes into the home after becoming pregnant.

She meets other young women in a similar situation and they form a bond coping with the strict regime and rigid discipline of the institution.

It is packed full of humour in adversity, as they cope with the Spartan conditions, poor food and hard work in the laundry. The girls sarcastically label the institution ‘The Marian Hotel’.

The Marian Hotel cast
The Marian Hotel cast

Sole Purpose Artistic Director Patricia Byrne said: “The play is a searing portrayal of a dark time in Irish history. The inquiry in the North of Ireland has just got underway after a three year delay and this play is a call to all those impacted to come forward and raise their voices so that they may never again be silenced and shamed for being human.

“Victims suffer ongoing trauma related to abuse in the institutions, reflecting the legacy of a deep culture of shame about unmarried mothers in Irish society. As a direct testimony from a survivor, this play can connect in a unique way and may help to encourage those impacted to come forward to give their testimony to the Inquiry.”

The show premiered last Friday in Newry Town Hall to an audience of more than 350 people where the cast received a standing ovation and there were lots of tears during the performance and the post-show Q&A from fellow survivors.

Writer Caitriona said: "I hope that audiences will get a sense of how things were for unmarried pregnant women, how 'given up’ for adoption should have been termed 'taken for adoption’. These institutions are part of our recent history, the effects they have had on our society still reverberate today.

“I was one of the lucky ones. When I came out of Marianvale I got my daughter back at three months old and went on with my life. But I was very ashamed of having been through the system. I didn’t talk about it until recently but I always thought about the other women, especially around my daughter’s birthday.

Director Patricia Byrne, Writer Caitriona Cunningham, Stage Manager Susie Garvey Williams, Dramaturg Emily De Dakis, Cast members: Maeve Connelly, Maureen Wilkinson and Una Morrison, Sorcha Shanahan, Roma Harvey, Aoibh Johnson, Shannon Wilkinson and Rachel Harvey
Director Patricia Byrne, Writer Caitriona Cunningham, Stage Manager Susie Garvey Williams, Dramaturg Emily De Dakis, Cast members: Maeve Connelly, Maureen Wilkinson and Una Morrison, Sorcha Shanahan, Roma Harvey, Aoibh Johnson, Shannon Wilkinson and Rachel Harvey

“Many women and their children were never reunited, for some it is too late but I hope that this play will help to open up discussions and that ultimately there will be no more shame."

A series of heritage outreach and engagement activities running alongside the tour aims to encourage people to come forward and share their experiences. With support from WAVE Trauma Centre, the project will create a space to explore and understand the important stories of the birth mothers, adopted children and families affected.

Stella Byrne, Head of Investment for The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we are supporting Sole Purpose with an award of £58,000 towards The Marian Hotel: Memories from Northern Ireland Mother and Baby Homes Project.

“Activities such as the reminiscence workshops, with support from the Wave Trauma Centre, present the opportunity to preserve memories, gather authentic narratives and ensure that these hidden histories are recorded and archived as part of our social history.”

It has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council of Northern Ireland Commissioning Programme, Foyle Foundation, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The Sunflower Project is funded by The Ideas Fund (a grant programme funded by Wellcome, run by the British Science Foundation).

For more information and how to book tickets for the remaining shows of The Marian Hotel go to: www.solepurpose.org

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