The issue of women's reproductive rights in 1970s Ireland doesn't immediately suggest 'musical comedy' - yet this is the path taken in The Train with delightful ease. After enjoying huge success at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Arthur Riordan's critically acclaimed play makes it debut at The MAC in Belfast this week. Directed by the city's own Lynne Parker, The Train tells the true story of how a group from the Irish Women's Liberation Movement boarded a train from Dublin to Belfast in 1971 with the aim of buying contraceptives, which were illegal in the Republic at the time. Their journey marked a watershed moment for women's issues in Ireland, when many were questioning their role within society as declared by both the church and the State. While a group of 47 boarded the train at Connolly Station in 1971, this play focuses on five young women who have had enough of the social constraints they face when it comes to sex and reproduction.

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