A Wine Goose Chase – how Ireland brought wine to the rest of the world

Susan Boyle’s one woman show, A Wine Goose Chase is part wine tasting and history lesson. The play, also written and produced by Kildare town native Ms. Boyle, is a dainty skip and hop through 2,000 years of Irish history. The play will take place in The Source Bar with Susan your host, who is more story teller than historian.

As she flicks through the bottles behind her, she condenses the long saga of how a bunch of monks, aristocrats, political refugees and farmers from a country where you can’t even grow grapes were major contributors to what we now understand to be the modern wine industry.

From New Zealand to Bordeaux, Mexico to Germany, Paddy was there. In some cases the part played was in planting the all-important vines, in others it was the development of trade routes, or of a certain type of bottle. At one point in the middle-ages there was six times as much wine being imported into Ireland than into Britain. And it wasn’t all alter wine!

Every few minutes in this hour long show, there’s a wine tasting. Each one has an Irish link somewhere along the line. As in all great Irish nights, the play ends with a song, ‘The Parting Glass’, where the audience is invited to rise and toast all the great Irish men and women down the years who contributed so much to making the wine industry what it is today.

And as if play writing and acting weren’t enough, it turns out that the multi-talented Boyle has a good voice as well – deep, strong and well rounded, much like a good wine. As shows go it’s fascinating, it’s fun, and it’s tasty. Wine is served throughout the performance and is included in the ticket price.

The Source Arts Centre, Thurles

Saturday 26 October 6pm & 8.30pm

Tickets €15

For all bookings ring the Box Office on 0504 90204 or go to www.thesourceartscentre.ie