July New production by Moonfish Theatre celebrates Irish Travellers’ nomadic heritage

Moonfish Theatre, Oein DeBhairduin and Galway International Arts Festival present the world premiere of Why The Moon Travels

A new production celebrating the beauty of Irish Travellers’ nomadic heritage and co-directed by a University of Galway academic is being hosted on campus as part of the Galway International Arts Festival.

 Why the Moon Travels is a haunting and magical retelling of Irish Traveller folktales, presented by the award-winning Moonfish Theatre and writer Oein DeBhairduin and featuring performances by an all-Traveller ensemble of Catrina Connors, Ellen Doyle and Sarah McDonagh.

 The sold out production is directed by Dr Máiréad Ní Chróinín, Moonfish founder and Druid Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at University of Galway and Ionia Ní Chróinín, also a director and Moonfish founder.

 Devised from DeBhairduin’s best-selling book, modern Ireland meets an older Éire as Why the Moon Travels interweaves stories of kind animals, otherworldly beings and hapless humans with memories and experiences from the performers’ own lives, mixing the wisdom of folklore with their own words. 

 Using oral storytelling, song, and evocative shadow puppetry, Why the Moon Travels celebrates the beauty of Irish Travellers’ nomadic heritage and gently examines the ways this heritage has been overlooked in the modern Irish state.

 Dr Helen Maher, Vice-President for Equality Diversity and Inclusion at University of Galway, said: “As an Education Partner of Galway International Arts Festival, the University is very proud to host the theatre venue for Why the Moon Travels, which aligns with the University’s core values of respect and openness.

 “University of Galway is committed to supporting both the access and meaningful participation of Irish Traveller students at all levels of their education journey. We recognise the important contribution of Traveller culture and history and proactively work towards equality and inclusion based on the lived experience of our Traveller community.”

 University of Galway appointed its first ever full-time Traveller Education Officer, Owen Ward, in September 2021 and the University is also home to the Mincéirs Archive. This collection focuses on Irish Travellers from the 1960s when Ireland transformed socially, economically and culturally; its impacts on the nomadic indigenous community and the dawn of the Traveller rights movement in Ireland and Europe.  The collection contains items related to Traveller human rights, education, employment, accommodation, music, folklore and photographs of the community.

 The University also setup the Mincéirs Whiden Society, the first Irish Traveller University Society in Ireland, formed to give Irish Traveller students a place where they can go and speak with other Irish Travellers. In June 2024 the University announced the dedication of a teaching facility on campus as the Galway John Room, named after well-known Irish Traveller John Ward, who was born and raised in Galway city.  

 The production was developed with the support of Galway International Arts Festival’s ELEVATE Programme, supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council and the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance at University of Galway. 

 Why the Moon Travels will run from the 14^th – 19^th July as part of Galway International Arts Festival at the Bank of Ireland Theatre, University of Galway.

Ends