BOY: An unforgettable life in words and music

We invite you to the Northern Ireland premiere of a landmark production from two extraordinary Irish artists, master uilleann piper, Leonard Barry, and acclaimed poet and playwright, Damian Gorman.

Together they bring to the stage the powerful and moving story of Gerard Gorman, Damian’s brother, and the man who first named Malachy Finegan, the most prolific paedophile priest in the Catholic Church in Ireland. By breaking that silence, Gerard not only began his own fight for justice, but also gave others the strength to come forward. In the words of one survivor, ‘his story has been a blessing to me’.

Harnessing the power of poetry and music, Leonard Barry and Damian Gorman bring Gerard’s story into the light — not to retraumatise, but to stand in solidarity and to offer something redemptive. Above all, this performance hopes to support Gerard in his own intention, that the telling of his story might save someone, anyone, from harm.

This performance will be followed by a discussion with Leonard and Damian around the issues raised in the performance.

Performance time: 60 minutes.

It is anticipated that the event will conclude around 9.30 pm.

LEONARD BARRY, one of Ireland’s master musicians, is an uileann piper living in Sligo. His latest album Littoral has garnered rave reviews from critics and fellow musicians alike.

DAMIAN GORMAN is a poet and playwright whose work has earned many, diverse awards – from a Better Ireland Award to an MBE. He is Gerard Gorman’s brother. His telling of Gerard’s story, SO YOUNG – The Taking of My Life by the Catholic Church, led the Irish Times to say, ‘courageous and unflinching, words cannot do this story justice.