Queerguru, the LGBTQIA arts magazine, meets up with the writers of a new play called Mammy's House, which opens in London soon but explores the AIDS experiences of the Irish Republic during a period when homosexuality was itself illegal.

Some chapters of queer history are painful to revisit, yet they remain essential if the full story is to be told. A fresh theatrical work now aims to bring one of those difficult moments back into public consciousness, exploring a period when Ireland faced an AIDS crisis that proved far more severe than in most other wealthy nations.

At the time, same-sex relationships were still criminalised in Ireland – a situation that persisted until 1993. With no dedicated AIDS wards or specialist treatment facilities anywhere in the country, anyone diagnosed with the life-threatening illness was left with little choice but to travel to England or another European country in search of care. The journey itself, often undertaken in secrecy and fear, became part of an already harrowing ordeal.

The new production, titled Mammy’s House, tells this story from the inside. It also traces how the iron grip of the Catholic Church on Irish society gradually loosened, and how a resilient LGBTQA+ community began to emerge from the shadows, shaped in part by the very struggles it had to endure.

Why the Story Matters Now

Although the worst days of the AIDS pandemic may be over, the virus itself has not gone away. Recognising that continuing relevance is one of the key reasons the play’s creators, Amy Clarke and Derek Murphy, decided to bring the production to the stage.

Speaking to Queerguru on the eve of the show’s world premiere in London, the pair explained their motivation for telling this story at the present moment. They spoke of the need to remember both the suffering and the solidarity that defined the period.

You can view the video interview with Amy and Derek at Queerguru's video channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN72O7ljXGo&t=3s