The show tells the tale of Aoife, a force of a woman from Dundalk, and her obsessive love for the charismatic Annie. Yeah, it gets messy. 

Based on Luke Cassidy’s critically acclaimed debut novel Iron Annie, it tells the story of Aoife, a major figure in Dundalk’s small-town underworld, and her fatal attraction to Annie, a magnetic and elusive force that barged into her life.

This production features performances by Eleanor McLoughlin as Aoife, accompanied by musical performances by folk duo the Dandelion Few and newly formed rock band False Slag. Directed by Peter Moreton, artistic director of the Applecart Arts Centre (London), it is produced by Luke Cassidy.
The production is made possible with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland and Louth County Council.

At the Iron Annie Cabaret, expect all the things that might happen when you combine an unstable relationship with bootlegging booze and selling drugs.

Probably the most ambitious and well-written debut novel this year, Irish Independent

Directed by Peter Moreton, Aoife is brought to life by Eleanor McLoughlin in this unique production. The Iron Annie Cabaret will also feature entirely original music inspired by the book and composed and performed live by folk duo The Dandelion Few and border-punk quartet False Slag.

Luke Cassidy is a writer from Dundalk. Iron Annie is his first novel, first published by Bloomsbury Books (Ire/UK) in September 2021, and by Vintage Books in North America in January 2021. Luke is a restless and enterprising sort with a love of craic. He sought and obtained funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and Louth County Council to produce the Iron Annie Cabaret, which will tour theatres around Ireland in late 2021 and early 2022. Luke’s short story A Good Turn will appear The New Frontier, the forthcoming New Island Books anthology of border writing.

He has written and produced plays for fringe stages in the past. Prior to returning to Ireland to write, Luke lived in France, where he completed a PhD in narratology at the Sorbonne, Paris. Luke will participate in many high-profile book festivals in the coming months, including the Belfast Book Festival, Redline Book Festival, Dublin Book Festival.

The Dandelion Few is the collaborative work of musical artists Tiffanie George (NL) & Seán Bradley (IRL). Poetic, pensive and cont

Eleanor McLoughlin trained at Drama Centre London. Her theatre credits include: Bright Stars Shone For Us, dir; Tama Matheson. Ghosts – Royal & Derngate. dir; Lucy Bailey. The Winter’s Tale – Cheek By Jowl – International Tour, dir; Declan Donnellan. Ah, Wilderness! – Young Vic, dir; Natalie Abrahami. A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Frankenstein – Aquila Theatre – US National Tour, dir Desiree Sanchez. Planter’s Island – Platform Theatre, dir; Roland Reynolds. Her film credits include: Forgotten Man, dir; Arran Shearing. Layla, dir; Malcolm Greenhill. Albert Bridge, dir; Bettine Mackenzie. Ten True Things, dir; Ian Knox. Eleanor narrated the Iron Annie audiobook. She was nominated for Best Leading Actress in the Madrid International Film Festival for her work in Forgotten Man.

False Slag Formed in early 2021, this four-piece border-punk band hail from Dundalk, Monaghan and Cavan. They like to think of themselves as a collective incarnation of the atmosphere of the Irish border banditry, with a heady dash of yesteryear’s cowboy film vibes. Their sound combines a unique mixture of urbane rawness and gritty mysticism. For this production, they have taken inspiration from the rough and ready cinematic qualities of Luke Cassidy’s Iron Annie and composed a suite of entirely original border-punk ballads drawn from the story of Aoife and her obsession with Annie.

Iron Annie’s director, Peter Moreton, is artistic director of Applecart Arts Centre in London.

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