Powerful play ‘The Marian Hotel’ is set to open in Newry

Cast and Production team from the Marian Hotel back l-r: : Director Patricia Byrne, Writer Caitriona Cunningham, Stage Manager Susie Garvey Williams, Dramaturg Emily De Dakis, Cast members: Maeve Connelly, Maureen Wilkinson and Una Morrison. Front l-r: Sorcha Shanahan, Roma Harvey, Aoibh Johnson, Shannon Wilkinson and Rachel Harvey.

A powerful new play that's been over a year in the making premieres at Newry Town Hall on September 20.

'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 coincides with the sitting of an expert panel that is currently taking evidence from survivors ahead of a full public inquiry.

As well as Newry the production will tour at An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny; The Playhouse, Derry-Londonderry; The Alley Theatre, Strabane and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.

Humanising tragedy

While the horror of Mother and Baby Homes throughout Ireland has been well documented in the news and will be back in the spotlight as the inquiry, which was delayed for three years, gets underway, a play is a powerful way to humanise the tragedies.

“It does humanise things,” agreed 'The Marian Hotel' Director Patricia Byrne who took a break from rehearsals to speak to the Newry Reporter.

“The story is based on real events. It's written by Caitriona Cunningham and is based on her experience of being in a Mother and Baby Home."

Luckily Caitriona left Marionvale and was reunited with her daughter at three months of age, but other women and children weren’t so fortunate.

"The play also brings the story out into the open. It's going to be on a public stage. Audiences will be coming to see it, so it’s taking the story out of secrecy and shame and into the public arena so that people can see what happened and the experiences that these women went through,” said Patricia.

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’.

Ordinary girls

The inclusion of humour in the play further highlights the fact that these are just ordinary young women trapped in horrendous situation.

“The humour is in the banter between the girls. It's how they hold each other up, it’s how they get through the long days and the chores and the feeling I suppose of being imprisoned in a way,” feels Patricia.

“Obviously there's tragedy in the play but the humour kind of balances with that and it's a good way to get the story across as well.”

The last Mother and Baby Home closed in the north in 1990 while in the south the last one closed in 1996, which is a shocking truth. And while the Catholic Church had a stranglehold on Ireland during those years, the north was also dealing with the Troubles.

“These girls were teenagers in their early 20s, full of life. The play is set in the 70s so the music of that time was upbeat and and very sexualised as well. Their humanity has been curtailed in this institution, which is trying to shut them down.”

The former Marianvale Mother and Baby Home on the Armagh Road where the play is set is documented in detail in the Mother’s and Babies and Magdalene Laundries Report. Marianvale opened in 1955 on the site of the Good Shepherd Convent and closed in 1984. It has recently been demolished and with that any potential evidence.

Bigger project

The play is part of a bigger project 'Marian Hotel: Memories of Mother and Baby Homes in Northern Ireland Project.'

The project, which will also involve a series of workshops, oral history recordings and a digital exhibition. The workshops will take place in Newry, Derry and Belfast in October. The digital exhibition will be available in February 2025.

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).

“The workshops are for people who may have been in a Mother and Baby Home, been born there or maybe had a relative who was,” said Patricia.

"Maybe they lived in a community nearby or maybe they were working there or delivering or picking up sheets or coal or whatever. Anyone who has any memories from that time they can take part in the workshops. They will be using creativity in the arts to explore these things.”

Keeping the history of Mother and Baby Homes alive and removing the stigma completely is important lest these women's stories fade away for younger generations.

“I hope young people come and see it, there are a lot of young people in the play,” she said.

“Even though the women that were involved are older women now, the play is about young women in a very difficult situation.”

On selected dates the tour will include Q&A sessions with Professor Phil Scraton from Queen's University Belfast, a member of the Independent Panel set up to investigate the institutions and co-author of its report ‘Truth, Acknowledgement and Accountability’.

For more and how to book tickets for The Marian Hotel go to: www.solepurpose.org