Giving voice to memories of the golden oldies

Efforts to find the oldest woman in Limerick have resulted in an opera, writes Colette Sheridan

A QUEST to find the oldest woman in Limerick sounds like an unlikely subject for an opera but writer and director, John McIlduff, was commissioned to do just that as part of the ‘Made in Limerick’ strand of Limerick City of Culture.

McIlduff worked alongside his creative collaborator, composer Brian Irvine, in a venture that aims to involve the experiences and reflections of as many old people as possible. These will be sung by five professional opera singers who narrate the stories that unfolded when researcher Maria Larkin spoke to the women.