Barry Fitzgerald

Carlow Arts Festival began working closely with Barry in 2023, supporting the development of his artistic practice and creating opportunities for his work to be shared with audiences. In 2024, Mourning is a Muscle was presented as a work in progress at the festival, giving Barry an invaluable opportunity to test elements of the piece and learn from audience responses.

Barry returned to Carlow Arts Festival in 2026 with the fully developed production, a moving and uplifting exploration of grief through the joy of music and dance. The show was presented at Dublin Fringe Festival and Project Arts Centre in September 2026, winning the Visionary Award, demonstrating the value of sustained artist development and long-term organisational support.

Mourning is a Muscle

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.

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.