New Theatre

The morning dip at the Forty Foot in Sandycove is a ritual ceremony of purification performed by Dubliners before giving in to the excess of Christmas Day. For Niamh McCann, the annual ritual becomes an obsession, and in Welcome to the Forty Footshe documents a year's worth of daily swimming with fellow-devotees; the members of the 9.30 and 11 o'clock clubs. Using documentary footage, recorded interviews and her own memories, McCann weaves together a compelling story of community with a philosophical meditation on the healing properties of the sea; a space suspended between the real world and one of limitless freedom. On stage, meanwhile, she presents the physical movement of swimming as an elegant dance. Welcome to the Forty Foothas been in development for almost a year, and yet there is something still embryonic about this version of the performance. McCann and her story never fails to be engaging, but it doesn't quite feel like a finished project yet.

Runs Until Saturday

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