Barry Fitzgerald

In the still shock of the 2020 London lockdown, Barry began writing letters to their father. He had died four years earlier. A simple mourning ritual grew and allowed Barry to move again.

Mourning is a Muscle is the culmination of those letters, a denim-drenched journey through grief, connection, queerness, and lineage - part performance, part installation. Focusing on the relationship of a father and queer child, and a story of a derelict farm, it fuses movement, music, design and ritual. Playfully delving into gender, how we carry the landscape of home, and the joy of moving as our true selves.

From Annie Lennox to Neil Diamond, Carlow fields to London lockdown, line dancing to lip-syncing - it moves across time and place, landing in tender and electric moments. A call to witness mourning in all its forms: spectacular, ordinary, and everything in between.

Having performed Mourning is a Muscle at Carlow Arts Festival 2024 as a work in progress, Barry brought the full version of the piece back to the festival and home county of Carlow.

Outside of scheduled performances, the performance space opened at set times for self-guided visits. You could have a cup of tea, sit with the work, and spend time with it in your own way.

Funded by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Mourning is a Muscle has been supported by Carlow Arts Festival, Carlow Arts Office, Dublin Fringe Festival, OUTBOX and VISUAL Carlow.