Opera Theatre Company's visit to the Valentia slate quarry in Co Kerry this week will not be the quarry's first claim to fame.

The performance of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, centring on the liturgy of Holy Week and the Virgin Mary's grief at the death of her son, will combine 18th century music, a spectacular location and film footage. It is directed by visual artist Dorothy Cross, who has described the quarry as "like a Wagner set".

Ireland's only slate quarry, situated dramatically over the wild Atlantic, has ground back to life after closing in the early 20th century, having supplied some prestigious customers including the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. The Valentia quarry was re-opened in 1998 by three local businessmen determined to tackle the island's decline in population, which had plummeted to just over 600.

The quarry now employs 10 people, its products being looked at as "something different". It originally came into operation courtesy of the Knight of Kerry, who owned Valentia, the name being an English corruption of Béal Inse, meaning mouth of the island - the true name of the island is the far more romantic Oileán Dairbhre, island of the oaks. At its height in the early 1800s the quarry employed some 400 people, the island population then numbered 3,000. Ships from London and New York pulled into the busy harbour which was also the centre of the first transatlantic telecommunications cable.

Valentia slate roofed the Houses of Parliament, the National Gallery and St Paul's Cathedral in London as well as the Paris Opera House. As flooring material, it was used extensively in many of London's underground railway stations, including Charing Cross, Waterloo and Black Friars and was highly sought after for billiard tables.

However, competition from the black slate of Welsh quarries forced it to close. A Marian shrine was erected over its entrance in 1954, the Marian year. The grotto, with the statue of the Virgin Mary placed at a height of about 80 feet, is now a visitor attraction in its own right. It is this shrine which is to be the setting for the unique performance by Opera Theatre Company.

"Re-opening Valentia had been spoken about for over 50 years. With the trend back to natural stone, we thought the time was right," says Michael Lyne, secretary of Valentia SlateLtd.