Extended Run
Bailieborough Library, Bailieborough, Co Cavan

An Act of Madness is a collaboration between writer Martin Towey and photographic artist Suella Wynne, inspired by the few details known about his great-grandmother, Bridget Towey (née Flanagan), and her committal to Connaught District Lunatic Asylum in 1914. Suella’s images provide a visual context for the story, exploring Ireland’s history of mental health care, wrongful institutionalisation, and societal attitudes toward postnatal depression and mental illness.

The project aims to spark dialogue about how mental health is understood and discussed today, confronting the silence and stigma that have persisted across generations. Originally launched as a book and exhibition in 2019, the work continues to evolve — Martin is currently rewriting it as a play under the title A Dangerous Lunatic.

With text panel designs by Elena Duff.

Supported by Cavan Arts, Cavan Library Services and Bailieborough Creative Hub