Description of the attraction
The Irish National Folk Theater, better known as Siamsa Tair, is a famous Irish theater in Tralee, County Kerry.
Despite the fact that the theater was officially founded in 1974, its history actually began in 1957, when a young clergyman, Father Pat Ahern, was sent to Tralee to create a new choir at the Church of St. John. Inspired by the successes of his talented wards, Father Pat decided to stage a mystery called Calvary. The premiere took place in 1963 and was received with incredible enthusiasm by the audience. So, in fact, a group appeared that called itself Siamsóirí na Ríochta and laid the foundation for the modern National Folk Theater of Ireland.
The main goal of the young collective, whose artistic director until 1998 was Pat Ahern, was to preserve, develop and popularize the long traditions of Irish folk culture in music, song and dance, and they have been very successful in this. Soon, the Siams Tair theater began to occupy a key place in the cultural life of Ireland, both regionally and nationally. Siamsa Tair's numerous overseas tours have contributed to the spread of Irish culture beyond the borders of the country.
In 1991, a whole complex of structures was built specifically for the theater that had previously wandered from place to place in the Tralee city park (at different times, the Ashe Memorial Hall and the old Royal Theater in Tralee were home to Siams Tair). This is a very interesting architectural structure that looks like an old Irish fortress. It also houses the Arts Center, on the basis of which various art exhibitions, thematic lectures and seminars, and other cultural events are held on a regular basis.
