A rehearsal scene ahead of the staging of the new Midlands-based musical Croí in Esker Arts Centre Tullamore, on Thursday and Friday next, June 27 and 28. Photo: Tara Thomas.

Athlone trio to feature in new Midlands musical play

Adrian Cusack

Published: Thu 20 Jun 2024, 1:56 PM

Croí, a new musical play written by Offaly artists Cormac and Lorraine Reilly, will be staged for the first time in the Esker Arts Centre, Tullamore, next Thursday and Friday, June 27 and 28, at 8pm.

The cast includes three talented performers from the Athlone area - Anne Marie Hynes, Emer Dunne and Claire Lemass - in addition to others from Offaly, Dublin, Kildare and Galway.

Croí tells a fictional story dealing with universal themes of love, grief and family drama set in North Offaly, around Croghan Hill.

The play includes twelve original new songs, including new folk songs about the area. It's described as "a celebration of the unique heritage, culture, landscape and history of Offaly and its people set against the backdrop of a love story, family drama and grief, featuring ancient pagan traditions around death".

Athlone's Anne Marie Hynes singing during a rehearsal for Croí. Photo: Tara Thomas.

Croí has been several years in the making. Cormac and Lorraine Reilly began working on it some years ago with the ambition of writing an original musical play about the place in which they live, celebrating and reflecting the cultures and traditions of the area, the bog landscape, archaeological and historical heritage and mythology.

In 2023, they received a semi-finalist award for their original song Mo Chroí Ochón, which features in Croí, from the International Songwriting Competition (Nashville). They also earned highly commended and commended awards for six original songs from the UK Songwriting Competition, held in association with the Brit Awards.

Tickets for the play, priced €22, can be booked on the Esker Arts Centre website here.