To take a man’s home is a terrible thing,
writes playwright Deirdre Kinahan in Refuge, a production staging the true history of the Irish Palatines at the Pavilion Theatre during the Dublin Theatre Festival, irishtimes.com reported. Directed by Jim Culleton and presented by Fishamble and Staatstheater Mainz, the play runs until Sunday, October 11th, exploring displacement through the lens of German Protestants who fled religious persecution and war in 1709.
Castle Matrix Sheds and Expressionistic Dance Movements
The production opens in an old carriage shed at Castle Matrix in County Limerick, featuring a broken-down carriage, a dusty mirror, and ivy-thick walls. Matthew Williamson plays a man in a grey tracksuit who attacks a young Afghan man named Zabi, played by Sabah Qalo, in expressionistic dance movements. Zabi crawls under the carriage and falls asleep before waking to find Hannah, an 18th-century peasant woman played by Hannah von Peinen, kneeling beside him. Live music ranging from violin to piano and percussion is performed to one side of the stage by Steve Wickham. Matthias Werner’s set design creates an uncanny, mythological vision of Ireland that blends elfish elements with dreamlike unease.
Historical Settlement of Rathkeale and Palatine Ambivalence
The historical narrative traces the journey of thousands of Protestants who left the German Palatinate after years of war and a severe winter. Anglo-Irish landlords, including Sir Thomas Southwell, settled these families around Rathkeale in County Limerick, making it one of the few Palatine communities in Ireland to endure. The plot focuses on Hannah and her husband Peter, played by Holger Kraft. While Peter embraces the colonial project and their new life, Hannah experiences deep ambivalence, stating that the low grey skies and soft hills do not belong to them. Her perspective shifts further through her growing romantic attachment to an Irish poacher and Hougher, played by Aidan Kelly, who belongs to the population displaced by the new settlements.
Ghostly narrative drops away in modern scenes
The narrative twist reveals that Hannah is a ghost wandering a land that is not hers, now tending to lost souls facing the same fate. Kinahan balances sympathy for both the dispossessed Irish and the Palatines, who had little choice in their relocation despite becoming instruments of colonial oppression. However, irishtimes.com noted that this narrative generosity drops away in contemporary scenes. While Zabi’s motivations are clear, the man in the grey tracksuit who attacks him remains a faceless, unexamined figure of modern racism.
Frequently Asked Questions About Refuge at Dún Laoghaire
Who are the Irish Palatines featured in the play?
They were thousands of Protestants who fled the German Palatinate in 1709 following years of war, religious persecution, and a devastatingly cold winter. Sir Thomas Southwell settled many of these families on his County Limerick estate around Rathkeale.
Which theatre companies produced Refuge?
The production is a collaboration between Fishamble and Staatstheater Mainz, a German theatre company hailing from Rhineland-Palatinate.
Where and when is Refuge running?
The play is staging at the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival through Sunday, October 11th.
Who composed and performed the live music for the production?
Steve Wickham sits on the side of the stage providing a live score that moves between violin, piano, and percussion.