 arrived in Dona Manor because we do also have a show in Dona Manor tonight before we head on to Derry and then Bunkrana for the weekend. It's been a busy time because you've taken this play around the country. Yeah, we've done ten shows, well, we will have done ten shows over the course of eleven days all the way down as far as Cork and then... All the way to Sligo. We've done all four quadrants. All four corners. Oh, brilliant. Brilliant. And finally, it's fitting, I should say, that it is finishing up in Bunkrana because there's a connection between John Newton and Bunkrana. So can you tell us, Susie, just a little bit about that? Yeah, absolutely. So in, I'm not going to know the exact date, I'm not going to try and remember the exact date. But... 250 years ago, was it? 250 years ago, this year, John Newton wrote the song Amazing Grace, and it was looking back at the time that he first believed, and that happened off the West Coast of Ireland when his ship that he was on sailing back from Africa was caught in a massive storm off the West Coast of Ireland. At that point in his life, he cried out to the Lord to save him, and he said, why? Why should God save me when I'm not a great guy at all? But his ship was saved, and it was Loxwilly that his ship pulled into, and so he was saved off the shores of Bunkrana. And then went into Derry to repair the ship and eventually move on with his life. He didn't immediately turn around. He was a slave trader for another few years after that. It took him a while to see the error of his ways in that aspect. But then later on in his life, he became a vicar and wrote the song Amazing Grace, thinking back on his time in Bunkrana and Loxwilly. It's remarkable to think that a song like Amazing Grace was written by a man who was a slave trader for much of his life. Yeah. But he was also very connected to the abolition movement towards the end as well. So he very much through his own experience, spoke out against the wrongs of it, that he so much of the politicians were working on theoretical comments from people. And he was able to be like, I did this, I can tell you what it's like and how awful it is. So it was hugely important. His relationship with William Will before sues in the play as well, not the real one, obviously, and he obviously was the one who was really champion in the abolition movement. It is a remarkable story. And yeah, unless you play the the main part of John Newton and Susie, you're his wife, Polly. Yes, his wife Polly. We discovered in our research these absolutely beautiful love letters between John Newton and his wife. John Newton released a book called Letters to a Wife Following Polly's Death. And it's just we saw this beautiful connection that they had. And there's so many of these letters that it almost told the story of their lives through the letters they sent to each other. So that was almost the foundation point for this play, just seeing the the story told through their letters and their love for one another. And much of the research for this was done in the form of going through those letters and manuscripts and writings of John Newton. Yeah. Yes, a large, large chunks of the play are verbatim pieces, which means they are lifted directly from the letters. Though trimmed down, Newton wrote a lot. OK. And he would sometimes write a lot of a lot of waffle. But so much of his playfulness, what was so exciting is to discover how silly he could be with her and especially with her and their their connection. They had the language they had that was just for them. And so it's it's really beautiful to be doing genuine love letters and thoughts of love to each other through the play. So when when you're researching this and that process, it took a long time, the play was, I think, three years in the making. And then when you're you're on stage and rehearsing, you're really transported back to another time, another era, a different sort of language. And, you know, my love is love, but it was certainly a different sort of language that they were using. And and that in itself is fascinating. Oh, yeah, it's great. We've got all our lovely 18th century clothes and. And in the century, we're behaving, you know, the guys cross their legs. The women would never cross their legs because only a certain type of woman cross her leg on which Hollywood. Right. So all these things that you had to learn along the way. Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm sure there was no no, no mistakes on stage. And Alice, when you play the the role of John night in and night out, and I'm guessing that you have got to go from bad guy to good guy all all in the case, all in the space of whatever it is, two hours. Very much so. The one I traveling from him when he was 17 all the way to the end of his life in the play. So that's one journey to do in terms of physicality and voice. And then to the hardest part is committing to the fact when I am John as the slave trader. At the time, he didn't think it was wrong. So I can't color any of my language or actions with. But I feel really guilty about it because he didn't. And that's such a key part of his journey is to realize that. And it's not an instant process. He he moves along periodically, much of the help coming from Polly encouraging him to confront his experiences there. There was a fascinating line taken directly from his letters to her that says, although this is accounted a genteel profession, I'm sometimes shocked by an employment so conservant with chains and shackles. And so even when he was doing it towards the end, he was starting to question it. But society at the time was like, it's a good job. You're supporting your wife and it's well paid and a respectable profession. And you have to embrace that. You can't you can't play a period character with modern sensibilities. Otherwise, you'll get horribly lost. Yes, yes, quite so. And behind every great man. And it's all about this great man, John Newton. Behind every great man, there's an even greater woman. So so tonight in Donna Manor anyhow. And and then tomorrow night in Derry. It's in the St Augustine's Church in Derry. And then the the run finishes on Saturday night in St Mary's Hall in Bunkrana. The best of luck, guys, with the rest of the run ticket information, amazinggrace.ie. Yeah. Yeah, amazinggrace.ie forward slash forever dash mine, where you can book your tickets for all of the three venues still remaining. And yeah, or just turn up on the door. There will be tickets available on the door for most these venues. OK. And particularly the family at Bunkrana, St Mary's Hall. So we'd love to see you there. Yeah, I think that is finishing out St Mary's. The best look with the restaurant. Thanks. Thanks for having a chat with us. Thank you so much. Bye. Around the Northwest with Donegal Airport.