Drama group pipped for All-Ireland title

It was the equivalent of being beaten by a last-minute point in an All-Ireland football final.
Talented amateur thespians in Doonbeg were left pondering what might have been after Letterkenny Drama Group, Donegal, pipped them by one single mark in the All-Ireland Drama Festival finals held in Shercock, County Cavan, last week.
Adjudicator Walker Ewart, who said the standard of production and acting were exceptionally high, admitted he debated “long and hard” when it came to choosing first and second in the coveted decider.
While Doonbeg producer Mary Egan admitted the group was disappointed to lose by the narrowest of margins, Letterkenny 93 to Doonbeg’s 92, she said members were pleased to have performed so well.
Their performance of The Weir, a one-act play by Conor McPherson was all the more noteworthy when the number of people living in the Long Village is compared to a very large urban centre such as Letterkenny, which has a population of over 18,000.
Most of the nine drama groups from the four corners of Ireland, who battled it out for top honours, had performed in seven or eight festivals, which gave them an advantage over Doonbeg, who had competed in five.
Groups collect points on the basis of finishing first and second in the drama circuit. Doonbeg won the overall award in the confined section, best producer, best actor and best supporting actor and most entertaining play in the West Clare Drama Festival in their own backyard.
This was followed by best overall crown, best producer and best supporting actor in the North Cork festival in Charleville as well as second in best supporting actor and overall in South Wicklow festival at Carnew and at the Wexford festival at ­Kilmuckridge near Gorey.
While Doonbeg didn’t collect an individual award in the All-Ireland finals, Mary Egan was nominated for best producer in her inaugural year, John Keane was nominated for best supporting actor and Paddy O’Grady was ­nominated for best production in lighting and sound effects.
Mary Egan paid tribute to her hard working cast ­including Mark May, John Keane, Charlie Killeen, Anne Marie Doyle and Ken Blowers, who collected 37 marks out of 40 for their acting skills.
She also praised the various backstage teams who contributed hugely to the success of the production.
All the cast have been rehearsing diligently over the past seven months.
Ms Egan believes their great run augurs well for the coming years.
“While it was disappointing to lose out narrowly, if you told me last October we would lose the All-Ireland final by a point, I would have been happy.
“The aim at the start of the year was to qualify for the All-Ireland and there is a great deal of satisfaction achieving this and this provides great optimism for the next year.
“I could see why Letterkenny won, so it was great to come so close. I felt we had a tough campaign on the festival circuit because there were four groups performing The Weir,” she explained.