Imaginary trip, magic island

"I AM communicating some sense of it over the phone but really it is something you'd have to see . . . It's a huge project Marie Farrell of the Linenhall Arts Centre is struggling to describe The Clare Island Mystery, which will be performed by Mise Freisin at the old Dining Hall in St Mary's Hospital, Castlebar, from Monday, at 10.30 a.m. It's a "guided imagery" adventure, specifically designed for people with learning disabilities, following a model developed by the English Horse and Bamboo company.

The artistic director of the event, Cathal McCarthy, learned about this area of arts activity during his year training with the Macnas educational company, MacEolas, and the project is partly funded by Macnas. Participants go on an imaginary boat journey to that magic island and slowly a kind of whodunnit evolves, to which they attempt to find the solution. There is music and rhythm, puppetry, shadow puppetry, slides, smells and acres of canvass, and the Linenhall is adamant that nothing like this has ever been seen in Ireland before. The show will run for two months and groups and individuals should contact Marie Farrell on 094-23733 to book.

It's a welcome advance in the level of access to the arts for people with disabilities and it comes in a week when the President raised the profile for APIC, the National Arts and Disability Centre of Ireland; by visiting the centre to celebrate its third birthday. The centre organises arts events and workshops, has an international database of useful information, and publishes its own magazine, The Bridge. Contact APIC on 01-8727930.