A GAELIC play written to mark the centenary of WW1 is set to go on an international tour later this year.
‘Sequamur’ – about an island headmaster’s struggle with his conscience after encouraging his pupils to sign up for the ‘Great War’ – will visit venues in Ireland, London and Belgium following the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.
Written by Donald S Murray, the play centres on the figure of William J. Gibson who served as the Headmaster of the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway in the Western Isles during the war years.
He returned to the Isle of Lewis in 1932 to unveil a memorial plaque for the 148 pupils who lost their lives during the four years of war.
Erica Morrison, the Creative Director of Pròiseact nan Ealan, (the Gaelic Arts Agency) said: “We are thrilled to be announcing this forthcoming tour, especially as this acclaimed play is visiting a number of locations that have close connections with the content of the production.
“Many of the young men from the Western Isles whose names are mentioned in ‘Sequamur’ were members of the Ross Mountain Battery. They fought and died in Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915.
“Soldiers from the Dublin and Munster Fusiliers from Ireland also took part in that battle, losing their lives alongside young men from the Scottish islands in that long forgotten area of the conflict.
“As a result of this, the play features individuals whose first language was not English, but Gaelic, whether of the Scottish or Irish variety.”
The play will also visit Ypres in Belgium, again an area where many Gaels lost their lives.
As in Pròiseact nan Ealan’s successful national tour, simultaneous translation to English (via headsets) will be made available to non-Gaelic speakers.
