Arts Insider – Marie Jones

Your new production The Blind Fiddler comes to the Lyric during Fleadh Cheol na hÉireann this July/August. It is a dark comedy set during the Northern Ireland conflict scored by some of trad’s best musicians. Can you tell the story of the first seed of inspiration for this play?

In 2001, I was just finishing performing ‘Weddins, Weeins and Wakes’, which is a play about the handing on of traditions from mainly working-class protestants i.e. the celebration of the cycle of life, birth, marriage and death - a very funny dark comedy written in rhyme - when a wonderful woman called Kate Kelly, who was involved with the Arts Council said to me I should do something similar about the Catholic culture in Belfast. I told her it was not my background, I would have to research more, know more. We started to talk about her own background as a young catholic girl growing up and living over a pub.

This was a time when most pubs in almost all protestant areas were owned by Catholics, whilst grocers’ shops tended to be protestants. We talked about how the customers in those bars were mixed in terms of religion and there was a rule that you could not play songs or music that could offend one side or the other. Often there would be signs. No ‘party’ songs in this pub. So that night, after talking to Kate, even though I had no intentions of doing the play, the seed was set.

You have had a long and fruitful relationship with the Lyric Theatre. Can you tell us how this began and what it has grown into? What are some of your best memories working together?

My best memory of the theatre was way back in 1983. It was the opening of the Martin Lynch play ‘Dockers.’ I have never been in an atmosphere like it. For the first time, for me, I was sitting in a packed theatre and it seemed 100 percent of the audience were identifying with every word. It was electric. I remember thinking, this is the stuff I want to do.

My first ‘on stage’ association with the lyric was in a play called ‘Boyd’s Shop’ and what a privilege it was perform with all those doyens of our theatre, Maureen Dow, Trudy Kelly, Stella McCuskear, Lucy Jamison, Shiela McGibbon and not forgetting the legend himself, Louis Roulston. I will never forget that amazing opportunity. Later as a writer I am so grateful that the Lyric has produced so much of my work.

This summer is jam-packed with celebrating traditional music across Belfast from TradFest to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Can you share your thoughts on what this means for the city and for Northern Ireland’s arts scene?

I never believed this would happen in my lifetime. I have been to many fleadhs in other cities and the experience was amazing but kind of sad thinking this would never happen in Belfast. 

Thank God I was wrong. We in Northern Ireland have come so far on a very difficult and troubled journey and this is another great step on that journey, and I have no doubt we will all be there for every tune and every dance step on the way.

What advice would you give for up-and-coming playwrights? Especially women looking to make a career in the arts.

My advice to any gender of writers is the same. If you want to be ‘a writer’ for the idea of it, then don’t do it. If you have a story to tell and you want and need to tell it, then do it. How you get it funded or produced is I think for producers, theatre directors or whoever wants to tell your story too. I have no advice on that, I have no business head, and I am still trying to work it out! I suppose the one thing I will say for sure, is don’t go for a large cast, even if your story warrants it, because chances are it won’t get done - it will be too expensive for most theatres to run. Just remember there is multi-roling. If any of my plays, for example ‘Stones in His Pockets’, ‘Night in November’, ‘Women on the Verge of HRT’, were not multi-roling I am confident they would not have seen the light of day.

Is there a particular piece of art (can be any artform!) you are enjoying at the moment and why?

I am reading John Steinbeck. He is the best storyteller I have ever read. He is a master at his craft, and I have read practically all his works. Most of them twice. I am now third time on Cannery Row, what an artist he was for providing inspiration.

What are you working on now and what’s coming up next?

Despite what I said about not writing a play with a huge cast, I did! After 35 or more plays mostly with small casts, I wrote a play with 16 characters. I had a feeling it would be difficult, even for me, getting it produced and I was right. I am not despondent, I think it is fate as I am now writing it as a novel, my first novel and to my absolute joy I can have as many characters as I want! It’s called ‘Sugar Street’ about a community surviving behind the barricades in 1969, inspired by Steinbek of course.

Following sold-out UK and Irish tours including Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Blind Fiddler comes to the Lyric Theatre from 31 July – 16 August 2025 - Marie Jones' The Blind Fiddler | Lyric Theatre Belfast

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to be Principal Funder of the Lyric Theatre.