THE LEGEND OF EUROPA begins outside Europe (at least as the continent’s geography is conventionally understood), on the beach at Tyre, in modern Lebanon, on the Eastern edge of the Mediterranean. Our journey with the story begins on the other side of the continent, at its extremest West, in the town of Sligo on the Wild Atlantic Way. This feels appropriate. Europa’s name derives from ancient Greek, and implies a wide gaze, looking beyond the self. Europe has always been defined by that which is outside it, or on its edges. It is a continent with a history of reaching out beyond itself; a space which many from outside crave to enter, while others arrive by dint of force or despair. Our continent is named after a woman from western Asia who was kidnapped and raped by our white gods. I’ve wanted to make this piece for more than 20 years, ever since Josip Rainer sent me his gloriously insightful paper called Europa: negotiating border myths for contemporary playwrighting. It could have bee...