Wake of the Whale: Alice Kinsella, Daniel Wade & Patrick Dexter

It is a little-known fact that from 1908–1922, two Norwegian-owned whaling stations operated in County Mayo, not far from the area that would be at the heart of the Corrib gas controversy a century later. Watcher has lived in Mayo most of her life. When she stumbles upon this fact she becomes, like many before her, obsessed with the whales. Reflecting on colonialism and the climate crisis, she asks, What is it that makes the men hunt them?

Mariner tries to answer this question. Through poetry influenced by medieval sagas and sea shanties alike, he tells the story of not just of one whaling voyage, but of the history of commercial whaling itself. He endeavours to give voice to the working Irish men of a community since dissolved. Together the authors weave a conversation that challenges our deeply ingrained assumptions about human, and animal, nature.

A genre-bending book that blends history, poetry, and documentary, Wake of the Whale asks if the attitudes that brought whales to the brink of extinction are now threatening our own?

Called ‘one of the most extraordinary titles in recent times’ the book was selected as a Sunday Independent Book of the Year 2024 and won a Mayo Cathaoirleach Award for Best Publication. Initial research for the show was supported by Creative Ireland. A work-in-progress debuted at Wild Atlantic Words Festival and Westival 2024. The project was selected for Druid Theatre’s FUEL programme in 2025, and the artists are developing it into a full stage show.