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1840's Ireland
By the 1840s, Ireland was a country shaped by poverty, land pressure, political unrest and deep dependence on the potato as a staple food. When potato blight struck in 1845, it triggered a catastrophe that would transform Irish history.
This epic musical tells a human story of love, family, loss and hope against the background of a nation facing hunger, eviction, emigration and uncertainty.
The Great Famine
The Great Famine, also known as An Gorta Mór or the Great Hunger, was one of the defining tragedies of the nineteenth century. The failure of the potato crop exposed a society already under severe strain, where land, poverty, food supply and political power were deeply connected. For many Irish families, the famine years brought impossible choices. Hunger, disease, eviction, the workhouse and emigration reshaped communities across the island.
The Exodus
For many, survival meant leaving Ireland. Ships often called "coffin ships" due to the high death toll carried Irish emigrants to Britain, Canada, North America, Australia and beyond. Families were separated, communities were emptied, and Irish song, dance, music and our great spirit travelled across the world.
Rebellion and Resilience
The 1840's were also years of political tension, resistance and calls for self-government. In the face of hardship, Irish identity endured through music, language, faith, family and memory. Celtic Exodus does not simply present history as dates and facts. It brings the emotional legacy of the period to the stage through original songs, Irish dance, live music and cinematic storytelling.
From History to Stage
Created and written by Brian Warfield of The Wolfe Tones, who has spent more than fifty years researching this period of Irish history, Celtic Exodus brings Ireland’s past to life through a powerful live musical theatre experience.
The production explores the lives of the people, how they lived their lives, their sayings, their traditions, humour, music and dance in the years before the Great Famine changed Ireland forever. This defining moment in Irish history shaped the global spread of Irish music, Irish dance and the Irish diaspora, whose influence continues to resonate around the world today.
Produced by ShinAwiL, one of Ireland’s leading television and live entertainment producers, the show features more than 20 original songs, live music, Irish dance and world class choreography in a large scale theatrical production created for modern audiences.
