Dylan Quinn: Memories and the Troubles focus of show

What promises to be a uniquely intimate and local story will focus on the connections between two men, a grandfather and grandson, with one born in 1919, and the other in 1974.

Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre presents 'My Grandfather's House'. Photo: Sarah Little, Liberty Studios.

Traversing the innocence of Dylan’s childhood memories from deep within his grandfather’s house, juxtaposed against the chaos of The Troubles during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the Fermanagh-based choreographer and performer will explore his experiences of growing up in a place of conflict.

“And they started bombing us, and they bombed us all the way towards Malta, heavy bombing it was, very terrible heavy bombing. Never seen as much black air in the sky in all my life,” Brendan Burns, Irishman and Royal Marine 1935 – 1949.

Recalling the horror of witnessing explosions as a young boy, to the playful joy of the 1989 St. Joseph’s Christmas Concert, and on to the classic days of the Vintage pub, this highly-personal creative reflection will recall the reality of growing up in this place we call home, and ask audiences to consider its future.

Dylan, who is also artistic director of the performance, said: “I was interested in exploring my sense of belonging to this place and how this had been influenced by my grandparents, and in particular, my maternal grandfather.

“I was fortunate to know and have loved all of my grandparents. And in my Granda Burns’ case, I identified with what I felt was both a strong sense of belonging and being slightly separate or separated from this home place.

“For me, this becomes particularly apparent when we review my life, between the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement in the year I was born, 1974, and the establishment of The Good Friday Agreement when I turned 24, in 1998.”

An audience of four per show will be transported back to 1970s Belmore Street in a performance space specially constructed by Jon Kelly.

Working with composer, vocal artist and long-term collaborator Andy Garbi to curate a companion sound installation, there will be space for the audience’s own private contemplations whilst sitting within ‘My Grandfather’s House’.

Alison McCrudden, Head of Drama and Dance, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “Dylan Quinn is one of our leading dance and movement theatre artists and we are delighted to support his work with National Lottery funding.

“His practice includes a particularly strong, innovative strand of site-specific work around rural Fermanagh, so we are excited to see this work develop as a result of a Commemoration Attachment at the Abbey Theatre Dublin and a Commissioning Award from the Arts Council of NI.

“This is another quality collaboration – Dylan working with composer Andy Garbi, a British Himalayan artist.

Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre presents 'My Grandfather's House'. Photo: Sarah Little, Liberty Studios.

“I encourage everyone to book and enjoy this new work; it will be a unique experience.”

This unique immersive event will take place in two parts – a performance presented daily between July 15 and July 30, and the sound installation which will be open to the public between performances.

Tickets for the performance and details can be found at www.dylanquinndance.com.

‘My Grandfather’s House’ is supported by the National Lottery via the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, The Reconciliation Fund Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Experience Enniskillen.

The performance was originally developed through a Commemoration Attachment at the Abbey Theatre/Amharclann na Mainistreach.