Drama continues unabated in Doonbeg

THE 52nd West Clare Drama Festival started in Doonbeg last Saturday evening with Brideview Drama Group from Waterford first to take to the stage. The annual festival will conclude on Monday when Cooraclare Drama Group with The Hen Night Epiphany tread the boards.

Before that though a number of other local groups, along with visitor players from Galway and Cork, will perform.

On Thursday, Mullagh Entire Drama Group will present Fortunes and Misfortunes by Deirdre Kinahan. They will be followed on Friday night by Glenamaddy Players from Galway with Moment. Kilmeen Drama Group will travel from Cork on Saturday where they will stage Playboy of the Western World by JM Synge. The penultimate performers will be Amphitheatre Company Kilkee with The Loves of Cass Maguire. Doors open each evening at 7pm while the curtain rises at 8pm.

Monday’s performance from Cooraclare Drama Group will be followed by the final adjudication and presentation of awards. The festival adjudicator is Brendan Murray, who has worked as an actor/director for 20 years in Dublin and Galway.

John Keane is in his first year as committee chairman, having taken over from John Igoe. He cites the fact Doonbeg hall is a top-class theatre facility as a pivotal factor in the longevity of the annual drama festival.

“We’re very lucky here in that we have a fantastic hall, a great stage and dressing rooms. Our hall capacity is roughly 300 people. Going back to earlier years, there were nights when the hall wasn’t big enough, particularly when the local or neighbouring groups were on. Our hall has been extended and thankfully now we’re able to cater for the crowd,” John Keane noted.

“Drama takes over here for the month of March. It’s a huge part of the parish and it has been for the last 52 years. I remember when I started going to the festival as a kid in national school and sitting up there in the front two rows in the hall, looking at the plays. That still goes on. The two front rows in the hall are still occupied by the national school kids,” the committee chairman added.

On a poignant note, the late Catherine Ryan is remembered in this years festival programme. Catherine was part of three Doonbeg Drama Group productions; The Honey Spike, The Factory Girls and Big Maggie. Having qualified as a national school teacher Catherine spent several years teaching in Dublin before studying at the College of Art and Design.

She subsequently returned to West Clare where be worked as a resource teacher in Tullycrine, Scropul, Coore, Cooraclare, Cree and Clohanbeg National School. Catherine was also active in the Doonbeg Tidy Towns Committee and with the parish youth club.