A Midnight Court Sitting took place at Ginger Lou’s, Main st., Ennistymon on the 18th of September 2015 at 10pm. Based around the comic poem by Brian Merriman, this production comes out of a collaboration with a community of interested local makers, singers, historians, musicians. A free event as part of Culture Night, it came with a warning- not for the fainthearted.
Image taken by Deirdre Power from A Midnight Court Sitting, workshop on Inishere
that emerged on the island of Inis Oírr on the 3rd of May 2015. The hearing involved a reworking of the great literary and comic Aisling poem by the same name, written by Brian Merriman in the 18th century. This alternative Court Session engaged with the poems lack of regard for stereotypes and it’s irreverent yet none offensive tone. Attendees of the night’s court were summoned witnesses from Inis Oírr and visitors to the island. Witnesses were given an opportunity to experience the tension between the genders through speaking the lines of the poem from the position of the opposite gender, through witnessing the arguments and dressing up carnival style. An earthy conversation between genders on relations followed through a round of humorous personal testimony call and response spoken word and singing, using the words from the Sean ós, Óra Mhile Grá as a refrain. Laughter became a liberating force as the genders joined together through the bawdy humour generated in the nights proceedings.