New ILBF series explores why women were accused of being ‘witches’
Date Posted: March 1, 2022
A new Irish Language Broadcast Fund series, An Diabhal Inti (The Devil’s in Her), which begins on International Women’s Day, explores how and why thousands of people, mostly women, were accused of being in league with the devil and executed as ‘witches’. The six-part series will air on Tuesday 8th March at 10pm on TG4.
The series is written and directed by Paula Kehoe, produced by Ashlene Aylward and edited by Jill Beardsworth for Lagan Media Productions. An Diabhal Inti is funded by TG4, BBC Gaeilge, Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund and the BAI Sound and Vision Fund.
Set against the backdrop of the great European witch hunts spanning two centuries and reaching across the Atlantic as far as America the series offers a unique lens into the social, political and religious conditions that resulted in one of the greatest ‘otherings’ in human history.
Featuring the renowned actor Olwen Fouéré, dancer and choreographer Aoife McAtamney and introducing the young Ailbhe Drimbarean, this visually arresting series offers a dramatic and mesmerising re-examination of the idea of woman as ‘witch’. By exposing patriarchal views of women which combined with religious beliefs in the devil walking the earth, the series shows how accusations of witchcraft mostly targeted women, making the female body a site of demonic possession, with deadly consequences for the accused.
Set in Ireland, the series, tells the individual stories of the women who did not escape the horror of the witch hunts on the island of Ireland. Those who perished include Florence Newton known as the ‘witch of Youghal’; Goody Glover, an Irish woman in Puritan Boston, hung on Boston commons; an unnamed woman in Co. Antrim who meets the same fate as the thousands who were executed as witches in neighbouring Scotland and the infamous mass trial of Islandmagee, where eight women and one man were accused of witchcraft and paid a high price.
The series also explores the reasons why the witch hunts did not affect Ireland in the same way as other European countries, and how paganism, goddess worship and beliefs in popular magic survived longer as a result. The story of Mary Butters, the Carnmoney Witch in the North and Biddy Early, the wise woman of Clare, in later episodes offer other insights into how powerful women survived beyond the witch hunts in a patriarchal world.
An Diabhal Inti is a visually rich and layered historical series with a contemporary feel. Woven into the visual narrative is a sumptuous layer of art spanning centuries. Contributors such as Dr Andrew Sneddon, the leading expert on the Irish witch trials, Dr Mary McAuliffe, Claire Mitchell QC, Professor Julian Goodare all offer unique insights into the religious mindset that created the narrative and the conditions for the witch hunts.
Fiosrófar sraith nua de chuid an CCG an fáth ar cuireadh i leith ban gur cailleacha a bhí iontu
Is sraith nua de chuid an Chiste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge é An Diabhal Inti a bheidh ag tosú ar Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan, ina bhfiosrófar an chaoi agus an fáth ar cuireadh i leith na mílte daoine, ar mhná iad an formhór acu, go raibh siad i páirt leis an diabhal, agus an chaoi ar cuireadh chun báis na ‘witches’ seo dá bharr. Beidh an sraith seo le feiceáil ar TG4 ar an 8ú Márta ag 10.i.n..
Is í Paula Kehoe a scríobh agus a stiúir an tsraith seo, Ashlene Aylward a léirigh agus Jill Beardsworth a chuir in eagar do Lagan Media Productions. Maoiníodh An Diabhal Inti ag TG4, BBC Gaeilge le Ciste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge Scáileán Thuaisceart Éireann agus le Ciste Fís agus Fuaim Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann.
Is i gcomhthéacs ghéarleanúintí móra na hEorpa, a mhair dhá chéad bliain agus a cuireadh ar bun trasna an Atlantaigh i Meiriceá chomh maith, a suitear an tsraith sé chlár seo, ina gcaitear solas ar leith ar chúinsí sóisialta, polaitíochta agus creidimh an ama seo ar tharla ceann de na samplaí ba mhó de ‘eiliú’ nó ‘othering’ i stair an duine mar thoradh orthu.
Beidh páirt ag an aisteoir mór le rá Olwen Fouéré, ag an damhsóir agus cóiréagrafaí Aoife McAtamney agus ag an núíosach Ailbhe Drimbarean sa tsraith seo a théann go mór i bhfeidhm ar an tsúil, sraith ina gcuirfear cuntas drámatúil agus draíochtúil ar fáil chun an léiriú a dhéantar ar mhná mar ‘witches’ a athscrúdú. Trí dhearcthaí patrarcacha ar mhná a thabhairt chun solais, agus an tuairim go mbíonn an diabhal ag siúl inár measc a d’imir tionchar ar na dearcthaí sin a chur san áireamh, léirítear sa tsraith seo gurbh in aghaidh ban a dhéantaí líomhaintí asarlaíochta den chuid is mó. Dá réir sin, rinneadh dlúthcheangal idir an diabhal agus colainn na mná le go samhlófaí le chéile iad, agus ba thubaisteach an toradh a mbíodh aige sin dóibhsean a cúisíodh.
Is in Éirinn a suitear an tsraith sé chlár leathuaire seo, ina n-inseofar scéalta aonair na mban nár tháinig slán as uafás na ngéarleanúintí ar oileán na hÉireann. Áirítear orthu sin a bhásaigh Florence Newton, ar ar tugadh ‘Cailleach Eochaille’; Goody Glover, Éireannach mná i mBostún na bPiúratánach a crochadh ar Choimíní Bhostúin; bean anaithnid i gCo. Aontroma a raibh an deireadh céanna aici agus a bhí ag na mílte ‘witches’ a cuireadh chun báis thall in Albain agus olltriail mhíchlúiteach Oileán Mhic Aodha, inar cuireadh asarlaíocht i leith ochtar ban agus fear amháin, a d’íoc go daor as.
Déanfar ceisteanna eile a iniúchadh sa tsraith freisin, amhail an fáth nach raibh an tóir céanna ar na géarleanúintí in Éirinn agus a bhí i dtíortha eile na Eorpa, agus an chaoi gur mhair an phágántacht, adhradh bandéithe agus creidimh i ndraíocht na ndaoine níos faide in Éirinn dá réir. Déanfar cíoradh ar scéal Mary Butters, Cailleach Charn Monaidh, agus ar scéal Biddy Early, bean feasa an Chláir, níos déanaí sa tsraith, trína dtabharfar léargas ar mar a mhair mná cumhachtacha trí na géarleanúintí i ndomhan na bhfear.
Is sraith shaibhir staire é An Diabhal Inti atá tarraingteach don tsúil, a bhfuil lorg comhaimseartha uirthi. Tá gné eile fite fuaite le hinsint an scéil chun an tsúil a mhealladh, is é sin sraith ghalánta ealaíne a chlúdaíonn tréimhse os cionn dhá chéad bliain. I measc rannpháirtithe an chláir, tá an Dr Andrew Sneddon, an príomh-shaineolaí ar thrialacha na gcailleach in Éirinn, an Dr Mary McAuliffe, an Abhcóide de chuid na Banríona Claire Mitchell agus an tOllamh Julian Goodare. Beidh léargas á thabhairt acu ar mheon reiligiúnach na tíre seo as ar eascair an insint agus na cúinsí ar tharla na gearleanúintí dá thoradh.
