Abbey Theatre: Dear Ireland – A national conversation led by Ireland's artists. 50 writers, 50 actors, presented on digital channels.

Dear Ireland was screened in four parts from Tuesday 28^th April – Friday 1^st May on Abbey Theatre's YouTube channel.

Part One: 11 monologues
Part Two: 12 monologues
Part Three: 13 monologues
Part Four: 14 monologues
Parts One – Four: All 50 monologues are available to view online for six months.

What do we want to be to one another?
What do we want our society to look like?
What are we not paying enough attention to?
Where do we want to go next?
What should Ireland write on a postcard to itself?

In the theatre community we physically come together to create and share our work. The social distancing in place at the moment stops us from doing this, but this will not stop us creating opportunities to hear and share Ireland's artistic voice. We commissioned writers from Ireland, with unique additional contributions from the USA, China and Italy, to each write a monologue, to be performed by 50 actors, and then streamed on our YouTube channel.

Each writer nominated one actor to perform their piece, and the actors are self-taping their performances from social isolation. The 100 artists involved in Dear Ireland are listed below. Acclaimed Irish artist Maser was also commissioned to respond to the Dear Ireland call and his beautiful artwork is being used for the visuals online, and will be woven through the films. Composer Ray Harman has also contributed to Dear Ireland, with his music underscoring various elements of this digital project.

A Message from Graham McLaren and Neil Murray, Directors of the Abbey Theatre –
“The Abbey Theatre is more than the walls which house its productions, and the work of Ireland’s national theatre responds and will continue to reflect the challenges being faced by Irish society. We are artist-led and audience-focused and, in this profoundly historic period for Ireland, we have brought together the voices of 100 artists to provoke a creative conversation with the nation. In addition to making new art for audiences, we felt it was important to act fast, to document this moment artistically, whilst helping theatre makers financially, a community which has been greatly impacted by the closure, cancellation or postponement of many artistic projects.

We want to sincerely thank these artists, who have embarked upon this project at a rapid pace, with open minds and brave hearts in pressurised and exceptional circumstances. Along with playwrights writing from all over Ireland, we are also honoured to include an Irish playwright writing from New York and a playwright from, respectively, China and Italy. We hope Dear Ireland will be a provocation for dialogue, reflection and entertainment.”

#DearIreland

#1 Alive
Written by Carmel Winters and Performed by Lucianne McEvoy.

#2 WALK
Written by Enda Walsh and performed by Zara Devlin.

#3 An Impossible Woman
Written by Iseult Golden and performed by Marion O'Dwyer.

#4 SHOWER
Written by Sarah Hanly and performed by Denise Gough.

#5 Dear Ireland I'm fucking riddled with anxiety!
Written by John Connors and performed by Graham Earley.

#6 windowpane
Written by Shane O'Reilly and performed by Amanda Coogan.

#7 Dear Ireland (an unreliable ex- lover suddenly writes)
Written by Nancy Harris and performed by Marty Rea.

#8 Home
Written by Owen McCafferty and performed by Patrick O'Kane.

#9 Pints of Milk
Written by Frank McGuinness and performed by Joan Sheehy.

#10 To Éire
Written by Felispeaks and performed by Deirdre Molloy.

#11 A Start
Written by Gina Moxley and performed by Timmy Creed.

#12 WIPER AT WORK
Written by Abbie Spallen and performed by Jolene O'Hara.

#13 Gorse
Written by Michael West and performed by Mark Doherty.

#14 The Box Room (A Meditation on Work)
Written by Shaun Dunne and performed by Eva-Jane Gaffney.

#15 Poll Mór/Big Hole
Written by Manchán Magan and performed by Bríd Criomhthain.

#16 Maxwell House
Written by Eva O'Connor and performed by Amy McAllister.

#17 Dear Ireland
Written by Edna O'Brien and performed by Stanley Townsend.

#18 Night 4
Written by Aoife Martyn and performed by Norma Sheahan.

#19 The Other Side
Written by Arthur Riordan and performed by Rory Nolan.

#20 I want the things
Written by Andrea Molino and performed by David Moss.

#21 Your Hands
Written by John O’Donovan and performed by Nicola Coughlan

#22 Dear Alex
Written by Deirdre Kinahan and performed by Bríd Ní Neachtain.

#23 It's All The Same
Written by Zoe Ní Riordáin and performed by Seána Kerslake.

#24 Katty Barry's
Written by Karen Cogan and performed by Siobhán McSweeney.

#25 The Meadow
Written by Jimmy Murphy and performed by Clare Dunne.

#26 West
Written by Ursula Rani Sarma and performed by Owen McDonnell.

#27 I Know You
Written by Zhu Yi and performed by Julia Gu.

#28 After This Thing
Written by Pom Boyd and performed by Brendan Gleeson.

#29 staring at the sun
Written by Stacey Gregg and performed by Conor MacNeill.

#30 Tara's Hill
Written by TKB and performed by Ericka Roe.

#31 These Four Walls
Written by Sinéad Burke and performed by Eleanor Walsh.

#32 A Hand of Jacks
Written by Dermot Bolger and performed by Dawn Bradfield.

#33 What We Never Got to Lose
Written by Dylan Coburn Gray and performed by Leah Minto.

#34 A New Yorker, now?
Written by Meadhbh McHugh and performed by Clare O'Malley

#35 Something Worth Saying.
Written by Colm Keegan and performed Owen Roe

#36 The Rock
Written by Phillip McMahon and performed by Caoilfhionn Dunne.

#37 End Meeting?
Written by Darach Mac Con Iomaire and performed by Eoin Ó Dubhghaill.

#38 A Letter To The Manager
Written by Sonya Kelly and performed by Deirdre Donnelly.

#39 The Golden on the Grey
Written by Margaret Perry and performed by Breffni Holahan.

#40 Grace
Written byJoseph O'Connor and performed by Kathy Rose O'Brien.

#41 The Three Irishmen
Written by Kit de Waal and performed by Peter Gowen.

#42 Party Party
Written by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth and performed by Camille Lucy Ross.

#43 Flake
Written by Keith James Walker and performed by Ashleigh Dorrell.

#44 Joe
Written by Mark O'Halloran and performed by Andrew Bennett.

#45 Let's Unpack That Shall We
Written by Una McKevitt and performed by Katherine Lynch.

#46 Stone mad from the flavour of the world
Written by Blindboy and performed by Cathy Belton.

#47 The Temple is closed
Written and Performed by Emmet Kirwan.

#48 Dear Ireland you will hardly notice my absence
Written by Rosaleen McDonagh and performed by Sorcha Fox.

#49 The Good Thief
Written by David Ireland and performed by Abigail McGibbon.

#50 Conversations with…
Written by Jody O'Neill  and performed by Marie Mullen.