Light Theatre Company

Proudly Presented

Directed by Pat Murphy (2000)

The Director was present to introduce the film and answer questions

Monday 26th February 5.30 - 9.30pm

Tel: +44 (0) 28 4173 9390

It is love at first sight when raffish young writer James Joyce (Ewan McGregor) meets the Nora Barnacle (Susan Lynch) for the first time. The couple leave Ireland and set up home in Trieste where their passionate and tempestuous life together begins. Based on Brenda Maddox’s 1988 novel of the same title, Pat Murphy’s film centres on Nora Barnacle’s tempestuous relationship with James Joyce but, significantly, it begins at a point in Nora’s life in Galway and the unfortunate end of her relationship with Michael Bodkin, rather than when she meets Joyce in Dublin.

Newry born Susan Lynch’s portrayal of the title character (for which she won ‘Best Actress’ award at the IFTI Festival in 2000) tha timbues her with a distinct personality. She is strong-willed, adventurous, witty, and uninhibited in her expressions, from conversational to emotional and sexual. In this sense, she comes to represent a sense of freedom that was unusual for the time (early 1900s), particularly for women. This representation situates Nora as Joyce’s equal throughout the film, if not stronger than him. With Michael Bodkin as Andrew Scott, Vinnie McCabe as Uncle Tommy and Veronica Duffy as Annie Barnacle