A Foolish Play

Performer Geraldine Mc Gloin brings her solo work A Foolish Play to ATU Sligo’s Block L for a single performance on Friday 28 August 2026. Billed as a raw, unpredictable piece of solo theatre, the show moves through multiple characters, including a child and a cleric, to examine institutional power and how children were treated within Church-run institutions in Ireland. It is described by reviewers as a performer unafraid to work with difficult, taboo subject matter, and carries a content note reflecting its themes.

What to expect

The hour-long piece is built as a live, shifting encounter rather than a fixed narrative, with Mc Gloin moving between roles, described as child and cleric, angel and devil, so that the audience’s role shifts too, from watcher to witness to something closer to participant. It draws on real questions about institutional history in Ireland and how that history is remembered and staged, handled through a solo physical performance rather than a scripted ensemble drama. Given the subject matter, the show is aimed at an adult audience, and anyone affected by themes of institutional abuse may wish to check further details before attending. The performance runs for around an hour with no interval.

Getting there

ATU Sligo’s Block L is on the Clarion Road campus on the edge of Sligo town, with on-campus parking available for visitors arriving by car.

While you’re in Sligo

The campus is a short drive from the rest of Sligo town if making an evening of it. There is more to explore across Co. Sligo for a longer visit.

Good to know

• Date and time: Friday 28 August 2026, 4pm to 5pm
• Venue: ATU Sligo, Block L, Clarion Road
• Content note: themes of institutional power and the treatment of children in Church-run institutions
• Audience: recommended for adults given the subject matter
• Booking: through Eventbrite