The Navvy’s Wife is a new show by renowned singer-songwriter Mick Ryan. The story is brought to life against the background of the Industrial Revolution and the great drive to carve out Britain’s canals, railways and roads. Written to reflect the musical styles of those times, you will hear echoes of traditional and popular song mingled with Music Hall comedy and contemporary folk.

Thousands were caught up in the migration of able-bodied men to the vast scars of construction that have softened into the landscape.

Bonds forged by kinship, friendship, love and economic necessity helped everyone survive the hard life the men were drawn to.

Britain as we know it today could not have been built without these labourers; most were English but Irish, and Scots too, were amongst their number. What we know of their existence can be traced in the newspapers of the day telling of ‘lawless Irish, truculent Scottish and belligerent English navvies.’ But of the women – the mothers, lovers, wives and widows the newspapers had little to say; of their longings, sorrows, hopes and joys they said nothing, nothing at all ...