The Whistleblower Out of Time Tour 2019

Released last year, The Whistleblower by Cormac Breatnach was made in response to a miscarriage of justice carried out against a member of his family, and how it shaped his adult life.

"My brother Osgur was wrongfully arrested and tortured while in garda custody and forced to incriminate himself for a crime he did not commit", Cormac explains. "The event in question was known as ‘The Sallins Mail Train Robery’ or ‘the Sallins Frame-Up Case’, which later gained further notoriety as ‘The Nicky Kelly Case.’"

Widely acknowledged as a miscarriage of justice, the case consumed the Breatnach family for years beginning when Cormac was just 13.

"I was capitulated into the adult world and the public domain as I participated in my family's campaign to gain public support for Osgur's release".

"It engulfed the Breatnach family for over 17 years and cast a long shadow into my own adulthood", he said.

Awarded a number of funding grants from the Arts Council, Cormac embarked on a musical project to explore and express the traumatic effect the incident had on him. The result was The Whistleblower album in 2018.

Receiving further funding to perform these works publically, he has now embarked on The Whistleblower 'Out of Time' Tour 2019 in venues across Ireland.

"My intention is to weave three different strands to attract an audience - film, live music, with supporting motion graphics lasting one-hour", he explained. "This will allow the audience to experience my narrative and the development of a four-year artistic journey on an emotional level. At the same time, it will also allow for the sharing and presentation of my work in a wholly new and innovative way expanding the avenues through which traditional artists reach people. The music serves as a direct connection to my narrative, exposing the personal trauma I suffered in my teenage and young adult life."

"My short thought-provoking film directed by Trish McAdam will precede my short introductions to the musical works touching on some of the issues raised in the case. The film begins with the statement "we all have a story to tell".

Dates and venues are as follows:

Sat 12th Jan – Glór Theatre Ennis (studio room) Co. Clare

Sat 19th Jan – Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin

Sat 2nd Feb – The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Armagh, Northern Ireland

Sat 16th Feb – Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Thurs 21st Feb – Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Sat 9th Mar – Dunamaise Arts Centre + Theatre, Portlaoise, Co. Laois

Fri 22nd March – The Riverbank Theatre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare

Visit www.whistleblower.ie for more information and booking details.