Duleek Drama 40th show raises €3,500 for charities

Duleek Drama Players are celebrating this week, as their 40th anniversary production has raised over €3,500 for local and national charities.

The group has just finished a hugely successful run of the murder mystery comedy ‘Secondary Cause of Death’ in the Droichead Arts Centre.

On the last night of the show, the cast was joined on stage by cast members from the first Duleek Drama production of 40 years ago.

“It was wonderful to have so many old friends and founder members back on stage with us again,” said the group’s chairman Con McGinley.

“We have come a long way since our first play 40 years ago when Josephine Byrne produced ‘Pools Paradise’ by Philip King, with just two performances in the Duleek Parish Centre in April 1984.”

“Of the seven people in that play two have sadly passed away, Ann Taplin and Dick McGuinness. We remember them with love.”

Playing to packed houses over five nights, the group devoted three of their performances to charity partners, raising €650 for the Duleek Cardiac Response Group, Drogheda Cares for the Homeless benefitted by €1,010 and €1,800 was raised for the Mellon Educate Africa charity.

“We are delighted to say that the group founded 40 years continues to thrive, contributing not only artistically to our community, but also on a practical level as we raise thousands of Euro every year for charity,” said Con.

Duleek Drama’s current director Carmel Matthews paid tribute to their first director Josephine Byrne.

“Josephine had the initiative to set up the group and she set the bar high. We are proud to carry on that tradition of bringing the highest quality amateur drama productions to the stage,” said Carmel.