Cultural memory, step dancing, representation and performance. An examination of tearmann and the great famine

peer-reviewedThis paper examines the concept of cultural memory and\udexplores how it shapes and is shaped by theatrical representation\udand performance. To this end, the paper focuses on one\udhistorical and cultural event in Ireland, the Great Famine of\ud1845–1849, and examines its folk theatrical representation\udin the production, Tearmann (translated Refuge),1 produced\udby Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland. It\udalso examines how dancing played an important role in the\udproduction and how it assisted in shaping, and being shaped\udby, cultural memories of the Great Famine.\udKeywords: Cultural memory, Great Famine, Ireland, step\uddancing, Siamsa Tíre, folk theatr