It’s a dark, rainy evening in early February, in rural Co Cork. The continually twisting road from Clonakility to the village of Rossmore seems longer than it actually is, so intensely dark is the evening. As I drive along, I think about how dedicated the members of this amateur dramatic group, Kilmeen Drama Group, and the dozens of others all over the country clearly are. They turn up, night after night, frequently after a full day’s work, to plan productions, rehearse, and then perform.
Amateur dramatic groups have had a strong presence in Irish life for decades. Particularly in rural areas, they offer an opportunity for people in communities to get together outside the default communal activities of sport. Touring shows also bring what is often excellent theatre to rural communities, providing invaluable cultural experiences to the people who live there.
In addition, Cork-based theatre historian Fiona Brennan, points out that in 2024, “the Irish amateur dramatic tradition was formally recognised by the State as an Intangible Cultural Heritage practice”.
Rossmore is a small village north of Clonakilty, but it has an asset communities multiple times its size lack: a 300-seater theatre, resonant with atmosphere. It was originally built in 1948 as a parish hall. Over time, it expanded, and its function changed. There is a labyrinth of rooms backstage, including one with a working fire, where I sit down with several members of the Kilmeen Drama Group to chat.
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The group itself has been in existence for decades, with new members constantly regenerating it. One person present, Michael O’Mahony, has been a member for an astonishing 50 years, since 1976.
“I was always interested in drama,” he says. “I like different challenges. I have done stage direction, sound, the lot. I am always saying it is my last year, but it is hard to walk away from something that has been part of your life for so long.”
Sitting there listening to O’Mahony, it strikes me that local amateur dramatic groups have an additional social benefit to the communities they are located in. They are multigenerational. Sitting at the same table as O’Mahony, with his half-century experience and involvement in the Kilmeen Drama Group, is 10-year-old Farah McCarthy, who has a walk-on part in their current show.
Darren Cannon has been involved for eight years. “It was pure chance I got involved,” he says. “They were looking for someone to play an English detective inspector.” He came along to a reading of the script, and ended up with the part. “The moment I stepped on stage, I felt that there was nothing in life to compare to it. You never get that feeling anywhere else, when you are standing on stage waiting for your cue. And something happens, and you go on, and it all comes together. I have made such great friendships through this group.”
Sharon Mawe has been involved with the group for 25 years. “It’s about the buzz and the people and the craic,” she says. “The social element of it, and the buzz you get on the stage.”
At present, there are some 60 members of the group. “Not all of them are involved in every production,” says Lar McCarthy, producer and press officer. He’s father to Farah, the young child actress. Not all members act or are involved in production, such as set design. “They sell tickets, organise raffles, teas and coffees.”
They perform three plays a year, which is a significant commitment on the part of many. There is a comedy in the summer months of July and August, which is the show that earns money to keep them going for the rest of the year, with tickets going for €15 per adult. Audiences come by bus from all over the country.
“It’s a big ask to people who are doing the summer play,” says McCarthy. “You have to be around for the whole summer.” They also perform a one-act play in the autumn, and a three act in the spring.
How do they choose the plays?
“We appoint a director, and they get full control,” says director Denis O’Sullivan. Dozens of scripts are read. “For a director to take on a play, you have to love it. I love theatre, and the process of creating the plays, Seeing how it can evolve. My parents were involved here too, in this group, so I was hanging around since I was kid.” O’Sullivan emphasises how important team work is for any production. “Everyone wants to act, but nobody wants to come and put up the set,” as he puts it.
New group member Gerard O’Driscoll doesn’t want to be on stage. “I much prefer to sit in the audience,” he confides. “I like doing the set.”
How does such a disparate group of people work together?
“Like every group, there are always characters,” says Crona McCarthy. “You have to be accepting of other people’s personalities and how they operate – I’m including myself in that. By and large, the project comes first. The umbrella of Kilmeen Drama Group is what brings us together.”
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“I might see my character one way and the director might see it another way,” says Lar McCarthy. “The whole play can’t be on one person’s head.” He is proud of the standard of professionalism that amateur drama groups such as theirs can achieve. “You can’t buy the passion you have with amateur drama. I think it is every bit as good as a professional production. I would be afraid I would lose the passions if I did it as a day job, though.”
Kilmeen’s current production is Enda Walsh’s 90-minute show, Ballyturk, which is being performed with an all-female cast. (The original cast was male-only, featuring Cillian Murphy, Mikel Murfi and Stephen Rea.) Out front, on stage, the set is in place. There’s a red neon “Ballyturk” sign over a door, children’s drawings pinned to walls, a wardrobe that is a shower, a toilet, and a kitchen set up. It looks like carefully curated chaos. There are four people in the show: Laura Connolly, Niamh Power, Sharon Mawe, and Farah McCarthy.
“With fewer people it’s much easier to co-ordinate everything,” O’Sullivan says. “We tried in the past to do a play with 25 people, but we couldn’t cast it.”
“My own mother met my father through a drama group,” says Power. “I absolutely love amateur dramatics, as they did too. I would have seen great craic growing up, and seeing people going off the festivals. Amateur theatre gives people a great opportunity for actors to play interesting parts. You can have a day job and then play a mad role in a play and it’s fantastic. There is a lovely sense of teamwork and bonding. You’re meeting people you might not have the opportunity to meet, different ages and you are thrown together; you are in touch with your own community.”
“I was on stage when my mother was pregnant with me,” laughs Connolly. “I just love it. I love being on stage. I love the challenge of it. Taking on different roles.”
There are many important dates in the amateur dramatics calendar, but the shiniest of all are those relating to the All-Ireland Drama Festival. The nine amateur drama groups around the country that qualify for these finals take it in turns to perform in Athlone, Co Westmeath, between April 30th and May 8th. The winner is announced on May 9th.
“Qualifying for Athlone is a big thing,” says Michael O’Mahony. “We would measure ourselves as being in the top nine at any one time.”
“Competitions are very important,” says Denis O’Sullivan. “It really pushes the standard. As a group we deem that production successful if it reaches the All-Irelands. Once you are there, of course, you have ambitions.”
“This year I’m helping with the set, not acting,” says Darren Cannon. “But when it comes to competitions, whatever you do, you want the group to do their best.” Cannon loves drama, but would not like to do it full-time, or professionally. “Doing it full-time, I think it would lose its zing.”
“It does push you on, the competitive part of performing,” says Laura Connolly. “I am a competitive person. It can be hard when you lose, if you feel you did well, but you have to rise again.”
The judging at Athlone is not only done live each evening, the judges’ feedback is given publicly at the end of the show. You would really need to have a robust sense of yourself to deal with this: even if theatre critics don’t care for professional shows, actors read reviews in private. They don’t have their performance assessed out loud in front of the audience who has just watched the show.
“I would not necessarily agree with all the decisions the judges make,” O’Sullivan says diplomatically. “Kilmeen Drama Group is a brand, and we are very proud of it.”
At the time of visiting Rossmore, the Kilmeen Drama Group did not know yet whether they would qualify or not for the All-Ireland in Athlone.
