Mammy’s House: the play honouring the lesbians who showed up during the Aids crisis

The play is set in Camden in 1985, created by Derek Murphy and Amy Clarke

BY NIAMH LENEGHAN, IMAGES PROVIDED BY MAMMYS HOUSE

London play Mammy’s House explores the Irish queer community’s fight for survival and chosen family during the Aids crisis – and the lesbians who stood beside them. Set in Camden in 1985, the play follows a group of queer Irish people who have left Ireland and built a home together as the epidemic begins to close in. 

“What the lesbian community did for queer men during the Aids crisis is a debt that can never, ever be repaid,” producer Derek Ryan tells DIVA. Derek spent six years researching Irish migration to London during the Aids crisis, and says the role of lesbians is still missing from the story. 

“We usually hear of the Aids crisis from a very male perspective,” he says. “Yet, the lesbian community stood up, and they showed up, at a time where they were badly needed.” 

For queer Irish people, London could offer something home couldn’t: freedom, community and crucially, healthcare. Homosexuality remained illegal in Ireland until 1993, and the country had no dedicated Aids clinic until the same year. 

Research presented by historian and LGBTQIA+ activist Dr Joseph Healy found Irish people made up as much as half of patients on some London Aids wards in the 1980s. But there is no comparable figure documenting the number of Irish lesbian and queer women who lived through the crisis in London. 

Derek says their contribution was nevertheless significant. Lesbians organised blood drives, donations, fundraisers, marches and protests, while also caring for gay men who had been rejected by their families. As anti-LGBTQIA+ violence intensified, some even helped men get home safely. 

“Queer bashing went through the roof during the Aids crisis,” Derek says. “Gay men were being attacked outside, and so lesbian groups started walking them home.” 

It is this history of queer solidarity that Mammy’s House aims to keep alive. The play was inspired by Derek’s research, which began after he heard Dr. Healy speak about Irish LGBTQIA+ migrants during the Aids crisis. 

At the centre of Mammy’s House is Barry, affectionately known as “Mammy”, whose home becomes a place of safety, friendship and chosen family. The name comes from the familiar Irish idea of Mammy’s house as somewhere you can always find food, safety and someone to look after you. 

“It should always be a safe place to be,” Derek says. “And that’s what we’re replicating, but in the London queer community.” 

Playwright Amy Clarke says the production was determined to give Irish women space in a history where their sexuality was often suppressed. “With women in Ireland – whether you were gay or straight – you just weren’t allowed a sexuality,” she says. 

For Amy, remembering that history is particularly important for younger LGBTQIA+ people. 

“As the new LGBTQIA+ generation comes up, it’s important to remember our history,” she says. “And remember how important solidarity is with everyone under that beautiful rainbow flag.” 

The production has also attracted praise from Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies, who attended a performance and later encouraged his followers to support the play. Comedian Roisin Conaty, who attended alongside Kathy Burke, also praised the production, telling DIVA it explores “a topic we haven’t seen enough about.” 

For Derek, remembering the people who fought and cared for each other through the crisis means recognising where today’s queer freedoms came from. “We are standing on the shoulders of giants,” he says. “We are only able to enjoy the privileges that we have today because of the people who came before us – because of what they did and how they fought. And we’ve got to remember it.” 

You can find out more about Mammy’s House on Instagram @mammyshouseplay. 

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