BRIAN CUNNINGHAM describes his day
I LIVE IN Cashel in Connemara. All my family are into music. My grandparents came from an island which is so small nobody has heard of it, though you can still see the ruins of their house on it. They were the ones that handed down the old sean nós way of singing and dancing.
Sean nós means old style and I’ve been doing it since I was six. The dancing is very low to the floor, looser than traditional Irish dancing and with none of the high steps.
It’s done on half-doors that traditionally were taken off door frames and put on the floor. It is also done on half barrels and we use both in our show.
It is about the Legend of Gránnie Mhaol, the pirate queen and the stage is set up like the front of a ship.
We have musicians, singers and dancers creating a blend of sean nós, traditional and Spanish music. It’s a really exciting mix and works really well.
On show days, I get up at around 9am and go for a run to loosen up. After breakfast I’ll pack up the car and make the hour-long drive to the hotel.
The first thing we do is the band’s soundcheck. After lunch we start doing rehearsals and run-throughs.
We don’t do the whole performance but maybe certain parts of the dance might need to be tightened up.
I’ll go off on my own for a swim after that, just to clear my head a bit before we have dinner. We all eat together at the hotel and the great thing is that we get on so well, so it’s great craic.
By around 7pm we’re backstage getting ready with costumes and make-up. I play Domhnall, lover of Gráinne Mhaol, and have to dress like a pirate. Some of the guys have to get goatees put on for their parts but I have one anyway, which is handy.
I don’t get nervous, but for the five minutes I stand at the side of the stage waiting to go on I do get a few nerves that everything will go off alright, though I think excitement would be a better word. Once I’m on stage I’m in my own little world and I absolutely love it.
The buzz afterwards is something else. We go out front and meet the audience and after that hang around for an hour or so just talking it through with each other. Some of the others might go on to the bar but I can’t because I’ve to drive home.
You don’t feel the strain in your legs until the next morning. Sometimes you’d be exhausted driving to a show and your legs would be aching so much you wonder will you be able to dance, but once you’re on stage all that all goes away.
* Brian Cunningham's Legend of Gráinne Mhaoltakes place at the Castlecourt Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo, during July and August. www.castlecourthotel.ie