A POWERFUL new play celebrating the music and languages of Scotland and Ireland is coming to Glasgow.

‘Beir abhaile ár marbh. Send home our dead’ – a telegram sent from the Irish to the British Government in 1937 inspires the untold story of 10 young men, from Achill Island, who lost their lives in a Scottish bothy fire. The effects reach across the sea, waking the soul of a young Glasgow boy today as he struggles to find his voice.

Scotties is a new play that takes the real-life Kirkintilloch tragedy of 1937, when a group of Irish immigrant workers tragically lost their lives, as the starting point for a contemporary, cross generational family tale that explores what happens when we choose not to pass on our cultural heritage.

Co-written by Frances Poet and Muireann Kelly, and co-commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland and Theatre Gu Leòr, this unique multi-lingual play is written in English, Scottish and Irish Gaelic and Scots, and celebrates the shared linguistic, musical and cultural traditions of Scotland and Ireland.

Scotties is written in four languages but can be understood by those who have just one. It is created by artists from both nations and is supported by both the Scottish and Irish national theatres.

It is more broadly rooted in the current issues of migration and mass movements of people and asks vital questions about how we treat those who tragically travel to find work and refuge in other countries – particularly on these intertwined islands of Scotland and Ireland.

Jackie Wylie, NTS director said: "The National Theatre of Scotland is delighted to support new Gaelic language theatre company Theatre Gu Leor in touring our co-comissioned play Scotties, as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to develop and present new work in Scotland’s minority languages and to give voice to previously unheard stories.

"We are especially pleased to be working in partnership with The Abbey, Dublin, to allow the play to be performed in Achill, where the tragedy at the heart of the story is still so deeply rooted."

Scotties will run at the Tron Theatre between September 13-15. For more information and tickets, go to tron.co.uk.