Art project to honour women incarcerated in mother and baby institutions to premiere in Cork

A NEW project to commemorate the women affected by mother and baby institutions is to receive its world premiere in Cork early in the New Year.

Between 1922 and 1998, around 100,000 women were incarcerated in mother and baby homes and county homes in the Republic, and a similar number of children were born in those institutions.

Now, a Cork-based collaboration between artists and living survivors is set to honour the women who were so brutally mistreated in this country.

‘A Mother’s Voice’, a commemorative dedication to the women affected by Ireland’s mother and baby institutions, will receive its world premiere on Friday, January 27, in Cork’s Triskel Arts Centre.

The project has been developed by Beth McNinch, artistic director with Musici Ireland, who was appointed earlier this year as a Write Record Perform artist at Triskel.

In ‘A Mother’s Voice’, Ms McNinch and Musici Ireland will present a multidisciplinary production in honour of the women, in the hope of shedding light on what is still a veiled part of Ireland’s recent history.

The evening will begin with an immersive walk-through exhibit by production designer Bridget Ní Dhuinn, with lighting by Eoin McNinch, followed by a performance by Musici Ireland of a newly commissioned work by Cork composers Linda Buckley and Irene Buckley.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Musici Ireland is a female-led chamber collective that prides itself in presenting interesting and evocative programmes.

The production of ‘A Mother’s Voice’ will feature the voices of three mothers as well as animation by Éabha Bartolozzo and Jack Kirwan.

Tony Sheehan, artistic director at Triskel, said the production had been two years in the making and all at the arts centre were very proud to be part of it.

“Artists, musicians, composers and above all the women themselves have made something extraordinary and powerful for all of us,” he said.

Tickets for ‘A Mother’s Voice’ are on sale now from www.triskelartscentre.ie. Tickets are €10 and proceeds will go to OSSCork Domestic Violence Resource Centre.