Aisling Ghéar Compántas Amharclainne

Aisling Ghéar Compántas Amharclainne was founded in 1997 by Gearóid Ó Caireallain with the aim of contributing to the development of the Irish language through the provision of Irish language theatre productions. Since its establishment, it has been the resident theatre company based in the Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, an Irish language arts and cultural centre situated on the Falls Road in West Belfast. For 25 years, it has performed bilingual Irish/English performances of celebrated plays by Marie Jones, Rosemary Jenkinson, Brian Friel, Samuel Beckett and more, and fostered emerging talent by staging a diverse range of original productions by local writers. In 2016, Belfast-based playwright, Susannah McKenna, won a commission from Aisling Ghéar for her one-woman play Alice Milligan – A Girl of Genius based on the life of journalist, political activist, feminist, and human rights campaigner, Alice Milligan. The play, directed by Aisling Ghéar’s Artistic Director, Bríd Ó Gallchoir, subsequently toured in New York as part of the Irish Cultural Festival in the city. The company’s production of An Triail by Máiréad Ní Ghráda has also become a staple of the Irish language curriculum at A-level and, every year, Aisling Ghéar takes the production on a National Tour catered for secondary school audiences. In 2017, to mark its 20th anniversary, the theatre company organised a Retrospective Exhibition to celebrate two decades of its work and progress with events taking place across cultural venues in Northern Ireland.

This online collection features ephemera (posters, publicity, and leaflets) relating to Aisling Ghéar productions from the 1990s through to the 2010s.