Sorcas le Croí, the first-ever circus of Irish performers with live traditional Irish music, has launched in Connemara.

That's according to the director of Broken Theatre and creator and producer of the Sorcas le Croí, Jane Murray, who was speaking to The Pat Kenny Show about the upcoming performances in An Tulach, Co Galway.

The circus will run for almost two weeks in August, with two shows running per day for an audience of 150 people.

The performance will include traditional music throughout and will be as Gaeilge from start to finish.

Ms Murray, who is not a fluent Irish speaker, said the idea came about as a result of her "absolute passion for indigenous Irish art forms".

"I have a love for traditional circus as an art form and I have a family who are all trad musicians and a mother who's passionate about the Irish language," she told the show.

"So, it's just an absolute dream."

Pictured at the launch of 'Sorcas Le Croí' - Ireland's first ever fusion of traditional Irish circus performance to a live score of traditional Irish music and delivered exclusively through the medium of the Irish language. Pictured L-R: Claire Carroll, Aerialist Performer; Tomás O Brien, Accordian Player; Richard Kane, Professional Circus Clown.

The idea

The idea first came about while Ms Murray was a musical director for a show in Slane Castle, in which an aerial performer was accompanied by a trad band.

"There was a moment when she was in the air and there were Uilleann pipes and fiddles and it was absolutely magical," she said.

From there, the idea developed into Sorcas le Croí, compounded by Ms Murray's childhood love of "the mystery and the beauty of a travelling circus".

"I've been very interested in the contemporary circus world and mixing it with the trad circus world," she said.

Pictured at the launch of 'Sorcas Le Croí' - Ireland's first ever fusion of traditional Irish circus performance to a live score of traditional Irish music and delivered exclusively through the medium of the Irish language. Pictured L-R: Claire Carroll, Aerialist Performer; Tomás O Brien, Accordian Player; Richard Kane, Professional Circus Clown.

Performers

Ms Murray said the circus is made up of passionate performers, who "might never have been born into a circus and have generations of circus in their blood".

"Bringing it to Connemara, I just felt it would be an absolute travesty not to do it as Gaeilge," she said.

"I've hired an Irish-speaking ring mistress, who is also an absolutely amazing trad fiddle player."

Performers Ellie and Brona for Sorcas le Croí

Even non-Irish speaking audience members can enjoy the performance, according to Ms Murray.

"It's the ringleader's job to call out each actor and describe them, but then you'll see them flying over your head and you'll hear the music so you'll always know what's going on," she said.

"It's a passion project, I am kind of funding it myself.

"It's really exciting and if I sound really, really hyper, it's because I am."

Tickets

Tickets to Sorcas le Croí are available here for €15 and will run from August 1st to 13th.

It is the first-ever fusion of Irish circus performers with live traditional Irish music.