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The Druthaib's Ball
Herbert Gallery Coventry, 2021
Galway Arts Centre, 2022
Ulster Museum, 2023

The Druthaib’s Ball, new work for Turner Prize 2021, has been realised twice over. In Belfast it was a wake for the centenary of Ireland’s partition in the Black Box (grassroots venue), and was attended by semi-mythological druids along with a community of artists and activists wearing hand-made costumes. 
  
At the Herbert, the event has been transformed into an immersive installation. An imagined síbín (a ‘pub without permission’) hosts a film created from the Belfast event, and a TV showing Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive. A large canopy styled from banners provides a floating roof. The síbín is approached through a circle of flag poles, that references ancient Irish ceremonial sites and contemporary structures, and is illuminated by a dawn-to-dusk light. 
  
Array invite us into a place of contradictions where trauma, dark humour, frustration, and release coexist. It is a place to gather outside the sectarian divides that have dominated the collective memory of the North of Ireland for the last hundred years. 
  
Array have also intervened in the Herbert’s collections, inserting an etching of The Druthaib’s Ball, into the Old Masters Gallery and displaying banners on ‘designated days’.

Array Collective are:  
Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell, Sinéad Bhreathnach-Cashell, Jane Butler, Emma Campbell, Alessia Cargnelli, Mitch Conlon, Clodagh Lavelle, Grace McMurray, Stephen Millar, Laura O'Connor and Thomas Wells.  

As Gaelige

Is comharghrúpa ealaíne agus gníomhaíochais é Array atá fréamhaithe i mBéal Féirste. Cruthaíonn siad taispeántas comhoibríoch mar fhreagra ar cheisteanna sóisialta a bhaineann leis an ghrúpa, le pobal s’acu agus a chuid comghguaillí -- mar shampla, cearta teanga, comhionannas inscne agus cearta inscne agus atáirgthe. 

Úsáideann Array taibhealaín, léiriú, agóid, miotas ársa, grianghrafadóireacht, suiteán agus físeán i modh grinn chun féiniúlachtaí traidisiúnta a bhaineann le Tuaisceart na hÉireann a athslánaigh agus ceistigh. Is sealbhóirí na dtraidisiún cultúrtha iad.
  
Is saothar nua é The Druithaib’s Ball’, faoi choinne Duais Uí Tornóir 2021. Chruthaíodar an saothar faoi dhó. I mBéal Feirste, tórramh a bhí ann ar son an cothrom céad bliain de chríochdheighilt na hÉireann. Sa Bhosca Dubh a bhí an bál, ionad cosmhuintire i lár na cathrach. D’fhreastail draoithe páirtmiotaseolaíochta ar an chóisir, chomh maith le baicle ealaíontóití agus gníomhaithe le éadaí lámhdheánta orthu.

Ansin, i Gailearí Uí Hoireabaird, rinne Array suiteán tumthach as an imeacht. Chruthaigh siad síbín samhalta. Is teach tábhairne mídhleathach é an síbín agus óstálann sé an scannán a rinne Array as an imeacht i mBéal Feirste. Tá teilifís ann chomh maith a thaispeánann gearrthóg ón gCartlann Digitech Fís Tuaisceart Éireann. De bhratach atá ceannbhrat mór déanta, agus obraíonn sé mar díon foluaineach. Ar an mbealach isteach go dtí an síbín, téimid tríd ciorcal déanta as chrann brataí, ag déanamh tagairt do láithreacha deasghnácha Sean-Ghaeilge agus struchtúr comhaimseartha, agus báitear an áit i solas na gréine ó dhubh go dubh. 

Cuireann Array fáilte romhaibh go dtí an áit neamhréitithe, an áit seo ina mhaireann tráma, greann dubh, frustrachas, agus faoiseamh le chéile. Áit ina bhfuil daoine ábalta bailigh le chéile, gan an scoilt sheicteach a bhfuil go fóil i gcroí agus in aigne an phobail i Tuaisceart na hÉireann le céad bliain anuas. 

Fágann Array lorg s’acu i mbailiúchán Uí Hoireabaird chomh maith. Chuir siad eitseáil den ‘Druithaib’s Ball’ isteach i Gailearaí na tSean-Mórealaíontóirí agus beidh bratacha ar taispeáint ar ‘na laethanta socraithe’ 

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All images by Garry Jones Photography

​“Tell us again that it’s ‘fun’ to create a bucket in the shape of the ferry which takes our pregnant people for healthcare that is still illegal in Northern Ireland”

Review of the show by Jane Morrow and Ciara Hickey in Elephant Magazine here

Druthaib's Ball credits

The Druthaib’s Ball Performers (in order of appearance): Vasiliki Stasinaki, Cleamairí Feirste, Richard O’Leary, Méabh Meir, Phil Hession, Rosa Tralee and the Divaship Crew (Kathryn McGrane, Peter Davidson, Lauren Donnelly, Stephanie McCann).

The Druthaib’s Ball Esteemed guests: Rose Baker, Rachael Campbell Palmer, Sarah Cassidy, Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh, Naomi Connor, Emma Gallen, Ciara Hickey, Dorothy Hunter, Niamh Kelly, David Lee-Surginor, Peter Lee-Surginor, Johanna Leech, Vic Loughran, John MacCormac, Julia Maguire, David Mahon, Micheal McCartan, Ruth McCarthy, Phillip McCrilly, Ryan McKinney, Ceardha Morgan, Jane Morrow, Gillian O'Hagan, Malachai O'Hara, Celeste Owens, Danielle Roberts, Stuart Watson.
The Druthaib’s Ball Film Crew: Jon Beer - camera and editing, Emily McFarland - camera, Ciara McMullan - stills photography, Conor Rotherham - camera, George Sloan - sound, Grace Sweeney - camera.
Technical support: Barry Hollywood - visual and sound tech, Neil Jacques - visual and sound tech, Liam McCartan - sound engineer and DJ. Venue support from The Black Box and Kabosh Theatre.

The Druthaib’s Ball additional sound excerpts: James King ‘Sound of the Púcaí’, Seamus O’Rourke ‘The Hard Border’.
Television and film archive material courtesy of Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive supported by the Department for Communities. Photographic archive courtesy of Caoimhín Ó Danachair (Kevin Danaher) and the National Folklore Archive of Ireland, UCD.The installation contains additional artworks by Emmet Brown & Alliance for Choice Derry, Anne Campbell, Anna Cosgrave, Rob Hilken, The Homeless Period, Nichola Irvine, David Mahon, Judy Mansfield, Stephen McClenaghan, Helen McDonnell & Alliance for Choice Belfast, Wee Nuls, Michael Quirke, Rebecca Roberts, and Vasiliki Stasinaki.

It was first constructed in the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum with assistance from Mark Biddulph, Tom Cullen, Rob Glover, Taz Lovejoy, Dave Muir and Steve Rubacki.
Lead Curator Hammad Nasar and Assistant Curators Alice O’Rourke and Laura O’Leary.

‘Stormont na Gig’ stone carving was made thanks to advice and tools from Sheena Devitt, Kevin Lapin and Alice McDaniel and the síbín exterior with design support from Alex Synge.

Irish translations by Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh, Fionnguala McCotter and Cormac Ó Briain.

Ulster Museum install team:
Anna Liesching – curator/project manager
Stefan McKee – interpretation officer
Bethany Skuce – object conservator
Caoimhe McCombe - Facilities Manager
Eiméar Cassidy - PR & Communications Lead
LesleyAnne Diffin - Marketing & Communications Manager
Brian Black – operations
Shane Redmond - Collections Logistics Technician
Stephen Gallagher - Collections Logistics Technician
Eamonn Geraghty - Collections Logistics Technician
Paul McAuley - Collections Logistics Technician
Gerard McSherry – Joiner
Colin Graham – project intern

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 48 King Street, Belfast, N. Ireland, BT1 6AD
 

   
          arraycollectiveni@gmail.com 


Northern Ireland Charity number: NIC103675

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