IAC Commissions: Eimear McBride and Kevin Barry

Grásta: Grace in Uncertainty

"It's disorienting, unfamiliar, and anxiety-producing. But could this moment, this unanticipated pause, lead to anything good?" 

We present the inaugural projects of our Grásta commissions series: original works by two of Ireland's foremost contemporary writers, shared in a podcast produced by Dean Cappello and Gobsmack Studios. Scroll down to listen.

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"Here in this doldrum year, as we exist in the half-life of our strange new sentience, there is a recurring sensation that time itself has become unfixed—the present moment seems to have evaporated, we are held in a state of suspended animation, and we are inclined to wallow in the past and future tenses."

From Kevin Barry, a meditation on his early writing life, and how a chance encounter with an old man in a West Cork pub—and a hare on a hill—helped throw the idea of grace into relief. 

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"Vulnerability is my least favourite word [...] because it sounds just like what it is, an invitation to punch. But whether I like the word or not, there is now a vulnerability about which is inescapable. It ensured everyone got punched, that a lot of people hit the mat, and that a lot of people couldn’t get back up. And it meant everyone wondered, communally—maybe for the first time in living memory—what the hell was going on?"

From Eimear McBride, a richly interior piece examining the role of vulnerability in the author’s life, and whose coda finds a kind of peace in our shared trials. 

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These essays—a rare medium for the authors—were commissioned and penned independently, but come together in delightful ways, finding paths to illuminate and challenge the other. Post-completion of their writing, the authors did the same, coming together for a conversation also featured in this special audio production.

Click thumbnail to listen on YouTube. Click here to listen on SoundCloud.

"Grásta: Grace in Uncertainty"
Written and read by Eimear McBride 

"The Hare" 
Written and read by Kevin Barry

Executive Producer Dean Cappello
Producer Paul Chuffo
Music from "Inagh Valley / Rockin' the Boat" (composed by Máirtín O'Connor) performed by Máirtín O'Connor, Cathal Hayden, and Patrick Doocey

Commissioned by Irish Arts Center as part of Grásta: Grace in Uncertainty, 2020-2021.

Irish Arts Center's Grásta commissions series challenged twenty-six artists, reflecting a range of perspectives and disciplines, to create work in response to the idea of finding grace in uncertainty. Click here to learn more.