Drama - Cumann Drámaíocht Gleanncholmcille

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Festival (FÁS) Office (074) 97 30039
Gerry (074) 97 30111

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Fr McDyer was a great lover of drama and culture and when plays were being drawn up for Halla Muire he was very insistent that there should be a large stage to accommodate plays and concerts.

Fr McDyer's vision, however, proved a success as numerous plays produced locally and by travelling groups would have been impossible to perform on a smaller stage. Fr McDyer produced many plays in Halla Muire, commencing with a pageant which was performed on the occasion of the opening of the Hall.

Down through the years, plays performed in Halla Muire provided hearty entertainment for the audience as well as a feeling of satisfaction and achievement for the actors. Rehearsing a play can be tedious work by times. Not only that, but the commitment to be present can mean sometimes missing an important football match on TV or an exciting epsoide of your favourite soap opera!

Neverthless, everyone is thoroughly rewarded for their sacrifices with the resounding applause of an appreciative audience.

Cumann Drámaíocht Gleanncholmcille

This legacy is still carried on by Cumann Drámaíocht Gleanncholmcille who perform plays in Irish and English on a regular basis. They were particularly honoured in recent years by the presence of President Mary McAleese and her husband, Martin, who attended performances of Irish plays held during the summer months.

The facilities for plays and concerts have been greatly improved; through the work carried out by Community Employment FÁS scheme(s).

Plays Produced in Halla Muire

• Pageant (Irish History)
• The Upper Room (passion play)
• The Paragon
• Blithe Spirit
• Professor Tim
• Coffin Johnny
• Warning Light
• The Rising of the Moon
• They Got What They Wanted
• The Righteous are Bold
• The Lord Mayor
• Paid in his Own Coin
• Riders to the Sea
• Sive
• The Year of the Hiker
• The Country Boy
• The Field
• Anyone can rob a bank
• Many Young Men of Twenty
• An Clóscríobhaí
• An Cleamhnas
• Ar Bhuile a h-ocht
• Ar Sor Ghadai
• Mó Chara Phatsaí
• An Gealltanas
• Sharon's Grave
• Tons of Money
• Bugle in the Blood
• Lá Búi Bealtain
• Gaslight
• Sink or Slim
• Witness for the Prosecution
• I do not like thee Dr Fell

From Cumann Dramaiochta

There has been a tradition of drama in Glencolmcille going back to the forties, and perhaps further. During the forties plays in English and in Irish also were staged in the old hall in Currin, known locally as "the Spink". With the arrival of Fr McDyer in 1951, drama got a new lease of life as it was one of his big interests. He began by staging a Passion Play entitled "The Upper Room" to raise funds for the erection of Halla Muire. That play was staged in many venues through the county.

Afterwards one play at least is staged annually in Glencolmcille. Amongst the productions have been "Gaslight", "The Righteous Are Bold" and many others.

At the present time drama continues to florish in Glencolmcille, thanks to the efforts of Gerry Gillespie who ensures that a play is staged annually.

These productions also provide entertainment during the Festival in August of each year.

Let's hope that the tradition will continue in years to come, and that "Cumann Dramaiochta" will continue to pack Halla Muire.