Dancing at Lughnasa orbits the lives of the five Mundy sisters, Kate (Lorna Middleton), Maggie (Ruth Herd) Chris (Leonie Slater), Rose (Tina Shinkwin), and Agnes (Rosie Pankhurst) and their brother Jack (Phil Reynolds).

Set in 1936 against the rural Irish backdrop of Ballybeg, the play depicts a world seemingly frozen in time, sustained by routine yet filled with a quiet, persistent hope that change might still come.

Directed by Tom O'Connor, the play is told through Chris Mundy's son, the adult Michael's reflective narration, the story returns us again and again to that fateful summer of 1936.

Michael (Christopher Stanford) stands to the left of the stage throughout, observing but never stepping into the action. his distance a reminder of what we see is memory, vivid, precise, but just out of reach.

Tina Shinkwin as Rose, Leonie Slater as Chris, Rosie Pankhurst as Agnes and Lorna Middleton as Kate (image via Richard Smith Photography)

Daily life for the sisters is shaped by the repetition of domestic labour, cooking, cleaning, knitting, and endless chores. Yet beneath the weight of their responsibilities, lies a hunger for something brighter.

Their rare moments of liberation arrive through the titular act of dance, spontaneous, joyous bursts of movement that momentarily lift them above the routine and return them to the carefree rhythms of their youth.

If only life were as simple as a single uninterrupted song, and if only the radio would work so it could play one all the way through.

The family itself offers a rich tapestry of character and tension. Jack, the elder brother, has returned from years of missionary work in Africa.

Tina Shinkwin as Rose, Rosie Pankhurst as Agnes, Phil Reynolds as Jack and Lorna Middleton as Kate (image via Richard Smith Photography)

Weakened and unsteady, his sisters tenderly help him regain strength and his memory of the most 'simple' words he has forgotten.

Kate, the eldest sister, is devoutly Christian and often stern, frequently scolding Maggie for knowing her 'pagan songs better than her prayers.'

L to R Christopher Stanford as Michael, Tina Shinkwin as Rose, Rosie Pankhurst as Agnes (image via Richard Smith Photography)

Meanwhile, Chris is drawn back to the hopes of the father of her 'love child,' Micheal's absent father, Gerry (Ted McGowan), who appears only occasionally, breezing in with charm, promises that briefly disrupts the family's otherwise predictable days.

At its heart, Dancing at Lughnasa is a play that transports you to a time when dance, music, and laughter could illuminate even the hardest of days.

It captures the beauty and fragility of a family on the edge of change, and the brief, shining moments that preserve memory.

Leonie Slater as Chris, Ted McGowan as Gerry and Ruth Herd as Maggie (image via Richard Smith Photography)