HAVE you ever
wondered why throngs of swimmers of all ages repeatedly and enthusiastically
brave the freezing seawater off the coast of South Dublin in all types of
weather and conditions?
This is just one
of the themes that will be explored by artist Niamh McCann (31) when she
performs her one woman show entitled
‘Welcome
to the Forty Foot‘ as part of Dublin’s Absolut Fringe
Festival next week.
The piece
focuses on the women who swim at the famous Sandycove bathing spot 365 days of
the year and interprets their stories and experiences in a range of creative
ways.
Located at the
site of the Martello tower mentioned in Ulysses, it was famous as a men-only
bathing area before being radically reclaimed in the 1970s by a group of nudist
women.
Niamh, who is
originally from Stillorgan, is a classically trained actress and ‘Welcome to
the Forty Foot’ is her first one woman show.
As a regular
swimmer at the popular bathing spot, she was fascinated by what compels people
to habitually swim and brave the elements there.
“Every day
of the year people go swimming off the Forty Foot,
? she said.
“That is part of
their daily ritual. That is what the show is ultimately all about. It is about
investigating and understanding why people go and throw themselves into the
Irish Sea 365 days a year.
“I decided
to do the show on the women who swim there primarily because I am a woman myself
and I thought it was interesting to explore what was happening for other women.
“The Forty Foot
had always been about men before and I wanted to move on from that.
“I wanted
to focus on what this ritual gives to women and their well being and how they feel
it helps them in their daily lives.”
The show recalls
some of the interviews Niamh conducted with women at the Forty Foot.
“I spent a
lot of time going and meeting many people who swim there and I have interviews
with about six different women. The show is a conversation between me and all
these different women.
“It is
funny, it is uplifting, it is about dance and therapy and healing yourself.
?
She added: “I decided that there was something
really interesting when I first did the piece in that lots of the women knew
what they felt, what they were trying to describe, what it was like to swim,
but they couldn’t articulate it.
“I thought maybe
they could articulate it in a physical way. So I decided to work with a dancer,
Emma O’Kane of Cois Ceim.
“She mentored
me for three months and we looked at how to explore just what happens to the
body when it is in the water.
“There is a
whole section exploring how all the different strokes transform into different
dance moves. It is quite funny as it explores the experience of swimming in a
different way.”
‘Welcome to the
Forty Foot’ will be shown at the New Theatre, East Essex Street, Temple Bar
from Monday, September 19 – Saturday 24 at 6pm. Tickets are from
?¬10
to
?¬13.