When Sligo’s Best Captured All-Ireland Drama Crown

It was 1970. The sixties had ended, and to listen to modern commentators, a dull decade was about to begin. But not in the Sligo theatre world. To us in the Drama Circle, the best was yet to come. Founded in 1956, the Circle had sought for years to win the blue ribband of non-paid Irish drama – the Esso trophy for All-Ireland glory in Athlone. Many great performances, much regional success, near misses such as ‘God’s Gentry’ in ’59, ‘Montserrat’ in ’60, ‘My Three Angels’, which I directed in 1962 and which lost by one mark on a re-check, Walter Mc Donagh’s wonderfully orchestrated ‘Playboy’ which won the Ulster title in Belfast’s Opera House in the mid-sixties, and Liam Mc Kinney’s first love affair with Tennessee Williams in 1969 with ‘The Glass Menagerie’.

But Liam, Tennessee Williams and the Drama Circle was to change all, utterly, and in Athlone’s Dean Crowe Hall, we heard the adjudicator, Robert Armstrong, declare: “I waited all week for the Festival to take fire, and it did not happen until tonight when there was sudden combustion”. The Esso trophy was at last on its way to Sligo. The celebrations had started and were to continue in Sligo, first with a Civic Reception by the Mayor, the late Ald. Seán Mc Manus, and onto the official presentation of the Cup and individual plaques by Mr. John O’ Donovan, Chairman, Esso Petroleum (Ireland) Ltd. in Sligo’s Jury’s Hotel. The play, of course, was Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. It was the start of a most prolific outburst of dramatic energy by Sligo Drama Circle who worked tirelessly through the seventies to raise funds for what we called “A Theatre For Sligo”, presenting up to eight plays each year and eventually leading to the building of the Hawks Well.

And now a new generation of theatre-goers in Sligo have an opportunity to see the Drama Circle in “Streetcar”. It is fitting that Joan Fitzparick provides a direct link with that famous victory. Joan played “Stella” that night, giving one of the outstanding performances of a distinguished career which won her so many acting awards over the years. This time Joan is in the director’s seat, and while Liam’s success with the play makes it a hard act to follow, Joan’s track record at the helm leaves one with no qualms as to the quality of the new production. I was lucky enough to play the role of “the Young Man” in the All-Ireland win – that tells its own tale of how many years have passed! The parts of Blanche and Stanley, possibly Williams’ greatest character creations, were brilliantly played by Dee O’ Connor (Gallagher) and Shane Cleary. Cormac Sheridan was superb as “Mitch” and the other parts were all beautifully played by Eily Kilgannon (Eunice), Brian Bohan (Steve), Pauric Foran (Pablo), Maura Doherty (Negro Woman and Mexican Woman), Robert Folan (Doctor) and Irene Conlon (Nurse).

But we must not forget Liam Mc Kinney’s courage in introducing a young talented group of actors from a local youth theatre company, “The Innisfree Players”, to provide linking scenes throughout the play. They added greatly to the overall success and we number them in our song – Carol Kelly, Seán Gallagher, Carina Gilbride, Frank Brannigan, Mary Harrison, Seán Foley, Margaret Mc Nulty, Liam Rooney and Seán Scanlon. Lighting was by Aidan Sexton and Ray Caulfield, sound by Seán Tighe and Liam Canning and Marian Reidy was stage manager with Una Lappin as her assistant. Other names on my programme are Walter Mc Donagh, Mary Mc Donagh, Betty Keogh, Imelda Mulligan, Joe Burns and Liam Costello. The Hawks Well stages the Williams epic from Tuesday, March 11th to Saturday, March 15th, when we are sure the Temple Street venue will ignite with another ‘Sudden Combustion’.

By Lionel Gallagher, The Sligo Champion, February 19th, 2003