Announcement: “Nochtaithe” (Unveiled)

“Nochtaithe” (Unveiled) is an artistic response to the survivor testimonies gathered and archived as part of the Tuam Oral History Project (TOHP) at NUI Galway, Ireland. It premiered in the Bealtaine Festival on Saturday 1 May followed by a webinar with survivors from the Tuam institution chaired by award-winning journalist Conall Ó Fátharta. It will remain online for the month of May.

Link: https://bealtaine.ie/bealtaine-event/tuam-oral-history-project/

This project emerges from the work of local historian Catherine Corless in 2014, whose research proposed that almost 800 children had died at a home for unmarried mothers between 1925 and its closure in 1961, and that the remains of at least some of the babies had been placed in a former sewage tank under the building (Corless 2012). Her findings were later confirmed via forensic examination of the site, and a Commission of Inquiry into Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes established.

Nochtaithe was devised, performed and produced by Drama and Theatre Studies in association with the MA Digital Media at NUI Galway, led by Dr Miriam Haughton, supported by a residency with ANU Productions. A live performance by celebrated Irish musician Colm Mac Con Iomaire provides a soundscape that fuses ancient and contemporary Irish culture.

Nochtaithe facilitates a site of intergenerational dialogue which acknowledges the harrowing experiences of survivors and their families. Nochtaithe was made with the support of the Tuam Home Alliance and we would like to acknowledge their generosity and courage in sharing their life stories.