Shows > Tir Na N’Og / Into The West

Tir Na N’Og / Into The West

Tir Na N’Og (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) was retitled Into The West (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2016)

Having now completed 8 tours, spanning over 20 years and touring across the world Into The West is one of our best-loved and most highly-acclaimed shows.

Originally titled Tir Na N'og, our nineteenth original production was adapted from Jim Sheridan's screenplay for the film Into The West (directed by Mike Newell and produced by Jonathan Cavendish for Little Bird Productions). The play is one of our most well-known and successful, being remounted a total of eight times, and won us our first award, for Best Children’s Production at the 1999 Dublin International Festival.  The show toured extensively across the UK as well as Ireland, the Netherlands, America, Canada and Jamaica.

This show also inspired our Youth Theatre (14-19s) to re-tell the myth of Oisin and Niamh as a part of our 30th anniversary festival, 30Fest.

In spring 2016 the play was remounted with a new cast to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its creation.  After a long tour all over the country we finshed back in Bristol with an extremely well-received three week run at Tobacco Factory Theatres.

About the show

Imagine a glorious white horse comes out of a sea-mist and into your troubled life. Imagine trying to keep her on the 14th floor of a Dublin tower block.  Imagine the law is on your trail and the only escape is to ride into the West. Finn and Ally escape the tower blocks of Dublin and ride across Ireland on their magical white horse with a price on their heads. The course of their adventures leads them closer to their old lives as travellers and helps them rediscover their lost sense of family.

For ages 7+

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At A Glance

1995-2001, 2016

Various venues

Past tour - no tickets available

What They Say

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    “Loads of theatrical imagination...goes right to the roots of how theatre is made.”

    Toronto Star

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    “A richly satisfying blend of realism and fairytale, comedy and tragedy, this brilliantly imaginative piece will reward adults and children alike.”

    The Scotsman

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    “I have never seen a play that touched me as deeply as this masterfully-staged tale. It's a beautifully-acted testament to the power of imaginative theatre.”

    Calgary Herald

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    "This isn't just exceptional children's theatre, it is complex, moving and vivid theatre; a remarkable, mature piece that creates a complete imaginative world of its own."

    The Guardian

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    Greg Banks, who with this piece set a very high bar and created a dynamic (and influential) vernacular for visual, physical and emotionally-charged work for younger audiences – indeed, the 'Bristol style' of family theatre is greatly in his debt.

    Bristol 24/7

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    "Performers and audience are left moved and mesmerised."

    Children’s Theatre Reviews

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    "Travelling Light brings us theatre at its most raw, most basic, most creative…Invention doesn’t get better than this." ★★★★★

    Stage Talk

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    "Travelling Light really excelled at their Relaxed Performance…the company and theatre managed the accessibility so well…Into the West itself was brilliant."

    Chopsy Baby

Meet the Cast

  • David Annen

    Pa / Granpa (2000, 2001)

  • Janet Bamford

    Finn (1996)

  • Fiona Barrow

    Musician (1999, 2000)

  • Sarah Beckett

    Finn (1995)

  • Kevin Byrne

    Musician (1995)

  • Adam J Carpenter

    Finn (2016)

  • Craig Edwards

    Pa / Granpa (1995, 2016), Finn (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

  • Sean Gleeson

    Pa / Granpa (1999)

  • Joe Hall

    Pa / Granpa (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)

  • Thomas Johnson

    Musician (1997, 2000, 2001)

  • Nina Logue

    Ally (2016)

  • Bing Lyle

    Musician (1998, 2016)

  • Christopher Nolan

    Finn (2001)

  • Zara Ramm

    Ally (1995, 1999, 2001)

  • Cerianne Roberts

    Ally (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)

  • Cathy Ryan

    Ally (2001)

  • Matthew Wood

    Musician (1996, 1999)

Meet the Creative Team

  • Greg Banks

    Director

  • Sarah Salaman

    Set & Costume Designer (1995)

  • Peter Milner

    Set Designer (1997)

  • Katie Sykes

    Costume Designer (1997)

  • Jane Lopresti

    Composer / Music Director (1995)

  • Thomas Johnson

    Composer / Music Director (1996)

  • Andy Shewan

    Lighting Designer

Black and white photo of two adult performers pointing and reaching towards the camera with an intense expression, with a third person in the background.
Black and white photo of a man with messy hair and a beard, wearing a vest and shirt, with his hand near his face.
A black and white photo of a young man and woman, both with tousled hair, sitting close together. The man is holding a bicycle handlebar, and the woman is leaning on him, looking directly at the camera.
Black and white photo of three actors on stage, one sitting on the floor holding their knee, another standing with a suitcase, and the third raising their hands, with a wooden set behind them.
Black and white photo showing a woman with an excited expression sitting on a man's shoulders, who is walking forward with a serious look.
Two actors look up at something above them in a dark setting, one actor is pointing with her finger.
Black and white photo of a man with dark hair and beard, wearing a jacket, standing behind a wooden railing on a stage.
Three actors performing on stage, with two crouching and one standing. The standing man has his arms raised, and the two other actors are looking up at him with expressive faces.
Three actors on stage, performing in Into the West. One actor is kneeling and pointing forward, another is standing on their back, and the third is raising a fist in the air. The background features stage set pieces.
Three actors on stage during Into The West. The woman on the left is wearing a light denim shirt over a grey top, plaid skirt, and dark tights, with her hair up in a ponytail secured with a pink scrunchie.
Two men are on stage, one older with grey hair and beard wearing a brown leather jacket, expressing surprise. The other younger man with dark hair wearing a denim jacket is pointing at something.
An older man wearing a grey cap and a blue shirt sitting on a wooden chair on stage, playing an accordion.
Four actors on stage during a performance of Into The West, with one woman in the foreground expressing emotion, and three men in the background, one on a scaffold, one standing, and one playing an accordion.
Two actors performing on stage, one seated on scaffolding and the other standing on it, with a dark background.
Two young people sitting on a stage, one with a denim jacket and another wearing a black hoodie, both looking to the side during performance of Into The West.
Young man crouching and looking concerned, with a woman in the background sitting on a platform and smiling, set on a dark stage.
Three actors on stage performing with their arms raised and making expressive facial gestures, set against a dark background.

Learn more

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