GRANUAILE
She had one son in 1567, called Tibbot-na-Long or Theobald of the Ships. Traditionally he was born on the high seas while Grainne was returning from a trading mission. The day after the birth they were attacked by Turkish pirates. The captain informed her that the battle was going against them. 'May you be seven times worse this day twelve months, who cannot do without me for one day' she said and stormed on deck discharging a blunderbuss at the Turks saying 'Take this from unconsecrated hands!'. They captured the ship, dispatched its crew and added it to their fleet.
Her maritime time activities became so great that on 8 March, 1574 Captain William Martin lead a force of ships and troops and laid siege to Grainne in Rockfleet castle. She rallied her defences and on the 26th turned the siege into an attack. Captain Martain was forced to beat a hasty retreat, and at the age of 44 the victory no doubt could only enhance her reputation.
The Gráinne Mhaol - The Process
We began with performance workshops for everyone and gave them all a taste of what would be involved in prop. making, mask making, costume making, set construction, stilt walking and drumming.
Declan Gibbons - General Manager - Macnas - July 2002
Press Reviews
Grainne Mhaol, currently playing in the vast Big Top beside Galway Cathedral as part of the Galway Arts Festival, is nothing less than Macnas's attempt to re-invent the pageant. Macnas is best known, of course, for it's outdoor parades and its indoor mythological spectacles. Grainne Mhaol builds on this work, but it also marks a new direction for the company.
The new style is a synthesis of the old achievements. From the parades, there is the mix of professional performers with community volunteers, the clatter of massed drums, the stilt-walkers, and the flag-wavers. From the indoor shows, there is the use of a dramatic narrative, which connects to the Gaelic past. If you put these two strands together what you get is a pageant. The attempt to revive the form depends crucially on the elegance with which the two different strands are woven together into a coherent whole.
Fintan O'Toole - Irish Times
Friday 19th July 2002
Painting by Jill Teck
