A new comedy stage play, “When Are You Going Back”, will get it’s first public showing in Upperchurch next weekend, with performances on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th at 8.00 pm each night. The play was written by American Gerry Britt, whose ancestors came from Drombane, and will be performed by the local ‘Upland Players’.
Cast and crew of the comedy “When Are You Going Back” which will be staged next weekend in Upperchurch. Back Row: (L. to R.) Jim Ryan, Willie Shanahan, Joanne Ryan, Paddy Bourke, Eileen Ryan, Joe O’Dwyer, Paraic Fahey. Middle Row: Teresa Corbett, Jodie Kennedy, Sinead O’Dwyer. Front Row: Billy Clancy, Mary Harrington.
The story describes the adventures of a naive American tourist who arrives in Upperchurch to trace his roots. The main local centre of activity, Fogarty’s pub, is run by two sisters. The husband of one of them is somewhat under pressure running the business and things get very difficult following visits from the ‘Tax Man’ and a ‘Smoking Inspector’ who are both trying to close the pub. The American is unwittingly caught up in the crisis. An array of local characters and customers with locally familiar traits contribute to the whole confusion.
While the play is primarily a comedy it is interesting to see the whole local pub culture and aspects of rural life through the eyes of a visitor. The problems facing country pubs at present are also adequately demonstrated.
Production Crew Directors – Mary Harrington and Kae Ryan (The Mill);Producer – Mairead Clancy; Set design – Joe Clancy and P.J. Harrington; Lights – Jack Looby and Thomas Fogarty.
Cast
Bobby Ryan (the American tourist) – Jim Ryan(Glown); Brian Maher (the local man) – Billy Clancy; Paul Shanahan (horse trainer) – Ged Kelleher; Nora (his girlfriend) – Jodie Kennedy; Seanie Fogarty (the publican) – Willie Shanahan; Maureen (his wife) – Joanne Ryan; Kathleen Shanahan (her sister) – Teresa Hyland Corbett; Eamon Kenny (Revenue Sheriff ) – Joe O’Dwyer; Joan Clancy (the smoking inspector) – Eileen Ryan, (Glown); Paudie Dooley (local genealogist) – Richard Ryan, (Ballyboy); Peg (his wife) – Nonie Clancy; Second American tourist – Gerry Britt; Pub customers – Pakie Purcell, Brian Harty, Nora Ryan, Sinead O’Dwyer, Paddy Bourke, together with local musicians.
Shown Above:A rare image believed to include Sean Hogan (Right), a native of Stockaun, Greenane, north of Tipperary town, and the Officer Commanding (O/C) the 2nd Tipperary Flying Column, which became active during the Irish War of Independence in January 1921. An usher in Dáil Éireann for many years, Sean died, in poor circumstances, aged sixty-seven on Christmas Eve 1968 in Dublin. He was buried with full military honours in the family grave at St. Michael’s Cemetery, in Tipperary town.
A Tipperary Commemoration of Easter 1916
The “Horse and Jockey Singers” will present “Tipperary Echoes of 1916″ on stage at the Derrynaflan Theatre, Horse and Jockey Hotel on Friday, 18th March. This event is a Tipperary commemoration of the historic events of Easter 1916, remembered in music, verse, song and story.
The content of the show is compiled by Kilkenny historian, Jim Maher and will feature many of the songs of the period including:- ‘A Nation Once Again’, ‘A Soldier’s Song’, ‘Banna Strand’, ‘Grace’, ‘Tri-Coloured Ribbon’, ‘James Connelly’, to name but a few.
The poetry of William Butler Yeats also gets notable inclusion as does the poetry of 1916 Proclamation signatories; Pádraig Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh and Joseph Mary Plunkett.
The “Horse and Jockey Singers”, who come mostly from the mid Tipperary area, have been together now for some years and are under the music direction of Patrick Conlon. Included among the many musicians performing at this event will be; John Gorman, Liam O’Neill, John Harnett and Uilleann Piper Michael Cooney.
Muriel McAuley and her husband Dermot will be guests at the show. Muriel is grand-daughter of Thomas MacDonagh, (Latter born in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary), one of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation, who was executed at Kilmainham Gaol, following the Rising.
Early booking at the hotel is encouraged (Tickets €15, Tel: 0504-44192) and patrons may wear period costume, should they wish.
Following her success as a writer and actor, Tipperary and Upperhurch native Áine Ryan brings to the stage her eagerly awaited second play entitled ‘Templemore’. This new exciting play will première first at the New Theatre, Dublin, from September 8th – 12th, as part of ‘Tiger Dublin Fringe 2015’.
Following on from ‘Tiger Dublin Fringe 2015’ the play ‘Templemore‘ is scheduled to take to the stage in ‘The Source’ Arts Centre, Thurles, Co. Tipperary on Friday, 2nd October 2015 starting at 8.00pm.
Áine Ryan – Writer/Actor
Áine holds a BA in ‘Theatre and Performance’ from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her first play ‘Kitty in the Lane’ achieved much critical acclaim and was been performed in venues in Ireland, the U.K and the U.S.A. She has completed ‘E20 Writers School’ with the BBC, a programme for emerging scriptwriters. As well as playing the title role in ‘Kitty in the Lane’, other recent theatre credits include ‘Sive’ in the Irish première of ‘Desolate Heaven’ by Ailís Ní Ríain , directed by Tony McCleane Fay at the Everyman Theatre, Cork. Also, ‘May in Angel Dust and Dallas’ by Paul Maher, directed by Amy Hill, a touring comedy production. Her Film Credits include ‘Susan’ in the short film ‘Spellbound’, directed by Sean Breathnach together with ‘Rachel’ in ‘Five Pillars’, latter directed by Jon Rosling.
As already stated, Áine Ryan achieved much critical acclaim for her first play ‘Kitty in the Lane’. Through her production company ‘Studio Perform‘, she showcased her prevailing talents both nationally and internationally with performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (Belfast) and the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
‘Studio Perform‘ and Áine Ryan’s latest venture, ‘Templemore,’ is set in a small rural Tipperary town, home to the prominent Garda College. Her play follows three young Gardaí about to graduate, who take a break away from the training grounds one sunny afternoon. Ryan, along with Cork actor Irene Kelleher (Mrs Shakespeare, Game of Thrones) and Clare actor Mark Griffin (The Turn of the Screw), take the audience on a suspenseful sixty minute journey, where a series of seemingly unrelated events culminate in a sinister twist, resulting in tragedy, suspicion and many unanswered questions.
Áine Ryan takes on the role of Éadaoin in the première production of ‘Templemore’ and explains the inspiration behind her new play: “I grew up close to Templemore and I have always been fascinated by people who choose to uphold laws and regulations, such as Gardaí. With recruitment to the force open once again, I wanted to examine what personal reasons people might have for joining. In this play, three students choose to be rebels for the day and we get to observe if control of our heart can ever be dominated by our head.”
‘Tiger Dublin Fringe’ is a platform for a new generation of emerging theatre makers. From September 7th – 20th 2015 this annual curated arts festival will showcase the very best of Irish and International performing arts.
Janice de Bróithe, the director of ‘Templemore’, was eager to take on this project, noting: “One read through was enough to get me incredibly excited to get stuck into ‘Templemore’. The characters, the situation, the stakes involved, all ensure that this is one incredibly gripping play. I am thrilled to be working with Áine, Irene and Mark, all very talented actors with whom I have had a blast making the show. I am looking forward to seeing them explode into life at the New Theatre Dublin”.
It is regarded worldwide as delightfully ‘Whacky’, ‘A Cult Rock & Roll Phenomenon’, ‘Weird and Wonderful’. I refer of course to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which will take place at The Source Theatre, Cathedral Street, Thurles on Saturday June 13th, starting at 9:00pm sharp.
In 1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show began as a British-American musical comedy horror film, with direction by Jim Sharman and starring, amongst others, Meat Loaf as ‘Eddie’, Susan Sarandon as ‘Janet Weiss’ and Tim Curry as ‘Dr. Frank-N-Furter’.
The film quickly gained major notoriety when audiences began participating with the show at the Waverly Theatre in New York City in 1976. Audience members soon began returning frequently to cinemas, talking back to the screen and began dressing as the films numerous characters, thus spawning a multitude of similar performance groups, right across the USA and UK.
With this in mind, ticket-goers attending here at The Source are also requested to dress in their own mad costumes, together with dancing shoes and yes, rice, for throwing, will be supplied by The Source Theatre here in Thurles for this the ‘whackiest’ yet of enjoyable Tipperary theatre events.
Note: This show is being organised to support the upcoming ‘Source Summer Youth Programme’ and Tickets at €10 can be obtained from The Source Box-office, by calling in direct or by Telephoning 0504 – 90204.
Yes, I knew that headline would get your immediate attention and now that I have gotten same, please, please do read on.
Calling all you lovers of ‘Mystery’ and ‘Intrigue’. Have you a ‘taste’ for that something which is often difficult initially either to understand or explain? Do you perhaps secretly ‘hunger’ to be a top notch homicide investigator, a type of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ if you will?
“I do”, I hear you say! Then take special note of a unique upcoming event. On Friday, May 22nd, 2015 you can see an unusual fund-raising event here in Thurles with the Anner Hotel hosting a ‘Murder Mystery Dinner’ in aid of the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association (I.L.F.A.) and Thurles Rehabcare.
The four course dinner will be the scene of a ‘Foul Murder,’ acted out between each course of your meal, by Goldstar Productions, a professional acting troupe. Those of you attending will play the part of attendees at a school reunion, with the acting troupe presenting a light hearted mystery for you to puzzle over and perhaps solve. This dinner will be followed by a School Disco, with you playing the ‘floor fillers,’ dancing the routines of many a former teenage memory.
This fund-raiser is being promoted by the family of the late Phyl Troy latter formally of Thurles, in conjunction with I.L.F.A. and Thurles Rehabcare. Phyl, as everyone remembers, was totally devoted to her career in Rehabcare and hence the full proceeds of this event will go directly to Castleview House in Two Mile Borris.
Phyl, prior to her sad passing last year, had been diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), latter a progressive and generally fatal disease characterized by scarring of the lungs that eventually thickens the lining of the lungs, causing an irreversible loss of the tissue’s ability to transport oxygen. This lung condition, IPF, ultimately robs a patient of the ability to breathe and is more deadly than most cancers. This disease affects some 800 new patients each year here in Ireland and has brought about quite a number of deaths in Co. Tipperary over the last few years, including two of the late Phyl Troy’s own siblings. Proceeds raised by this event and given to I.L.F.A. will now assist in ongoing research, support and further education of this normally fatal disease.
TICKETS: Same cost just €35 each, and will include a ‘Sumptuous Four Course Dinner’, the ‘Murder Mystery’ and the ‘School Disco’. Tickets are available from the Anner Hotel or from individual members of the Troy family, actively promoting this worthy event. Let’s be honest here, where today can you obtain Dinner, A Theatre Seat, Dancing, not to mention the Kudos from “her indoors,” for such a small admission fee; plus of course that great inner feeling you yourself will gain by having supported this truly worthwhile cause.
This said; remember the date; Friday, May 22nd, 2015, Anner Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Oh and from now on remember to never turn your back in the shower, especially when the water is running.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Recent Comments