Tourism, Touring and Staged Folklore

Siamsa Tíre is one of the leading tourist attractions in Tralee, Co. Kerry with the National Folk Theatre presenting a series of summer performances throughout the season. Beginning in the 1960s, the developing group then known as Siamsóirí na Ríochta received considerable support from stakeholders in the tourism sector, leading to a summer season of performances. These performances were amongst a range of successful initiatives in the Shannon region at that time that resulted in a surge of tourism to the area. In the 1972 plan for the development of folk theatre, founding Artistic Director Pat Ahern recognised the potential for tourism to support the growth of the company but emphasised the need for a focus beyond tourism, concentrating on the presentation of folk culture on the stage. Nevertheless, financial support from initiatives related to tourism has underpinned many of the developments and audiences for the company during the summer months comprise primarily of tourists. In this chapter, I critically examine the construction of identity for Siamsa Tíre within a broader national tourism narrative and constructions of ‘Irishness’ for a tourist market that focus on the rural sphere. I present a brief analysis of how Siamsa Tíre markets itself to tourists and the physical spaces that the tourists encounter when attending performances. Furthermore, the performances by Siamsa Tíre ‘at home’ are supplemented through touring and the early success of tours to Germany and America are important in gaining critical acclaim that was used in subsequent marketing campaigns. Through touring, Siamsa Tíre established themselves as cultural ambassadors for Ireland, while simultaneously achieving their goal of preserving and presenting the cultural heritage of Kerry on the theatre stage