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Description
Siamsa Tire is Ireland’s National Folk Threatre. It is a group that preserves and develops
Ireland’s rich folk lore through the art forms of dance, music, and song. Out of a series of sketches created by Father
Pat Ahern and performed by Siamsoiri na Riochta in 1963, a professional theater
company grew. It is now staging its 40th
summer season.
How to get there
By car:
From Limerick, take N21 south to Tralee.
From Killarney, take N22 north to Tralee.
By bus:
See www.buseireann.ie
website for all current travel details and restrictions.
Opening times
Shows begin at 8:30PM.
Arrive early for a drink at the bar and a view of the current art
exhibition.
Admission Fees
Adult 25 euro
Address
Siamsa Tire
National Folk Theatre of Ireland
Town Park
Tralee, Co. Kerry
Tel: 353 (0)66 712 3055 (box office)
Email:
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Web: www.siamsatire.com
My experience
We saw the performance of the Celtic myth Clann Lir. It is a story of the children of Lir, four
siblings who were turned into swans by their wicked stepmother. To the dismay of their loving father, they
remained in feathered form for nine hundred years, retaining only their
beautiful - and recognizable - singing voices.
We arrived early and wandered through the accompanying art
exhibition by Tralee Community College.
Soon, buses of middle-aged tourists unloaded into the lobby. There is an
excited, pre-show buzz of conversation in the air. Tonight’s performance would be before a
packed house.
We were lucky to wrangle a pair of usher seats to the
evenings’ show. Not unlike flight
attendants’ seats, they folded down from the side of the row, making way for a
new neighbor to drop in on an unsuspecting seat holder. I sat next to a Austrian couple on a seven
day tour of Ireland.
The first act was entrancing. A live orchestra of accordion, flute, and
violin accompanied a story sung in the hushed sounds of the Irish
language. I hadn’t a clue what was sung,
but I understood the story based on the lucid choreography. Much love was communicated between the father
and child through intricate dancing that resembled horse prancing. There was an intermission with enough time to
have a couple Irish coffees, then a shorter second act. It was enlightening to
see all the classic cultural art forms bringing another art form – the story -
to life.
Written by Liz O' Malley - Summer of Travel 2007
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