BALLYCOGLEY PLAYERS MARK ALL IRELAND WIN
WHILE MOST drama groups across the country are busy selecting and casting their plays for the 2019 amateur drama All Ireland circuit, Ballycogley Players were holding a delayed celebration for their All Ireland winners from April of this year.
The group, who presented Conor McPherson’s ‘The Night Alive’, won the Confined All Ireland in April, with awards for Breda Hayes as Best Director, Sean Carthy for Best Supporting Actor, and Paddy McGuire for Best Stage Management. It was the second time the group had won the Confined All Ireland, having previously been triumphant in 2016.
The group immediately scheduled one final performance of the play in the Dun Mhuire in June, when all of the drama season was finished, after which they planned to have a proper night of celebration in The Halfway House in Ballycogley. However, an accident in the Dun Mhuire left lighting technician and Breda’s husband Nick with serious injuries, and the group put the night on hold.
‘The night was a bit later than planned because of everything that happened. But Nick is fighting fit again now so we wanted to mark the win with friends and family.’
The group was joined by members of other neighbouring drama groups, as well as local councillors Ger Carthy and Jim Moore.
The Players, on a later date, presented a cheque for €3,000 to the Wexford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Service, proceeds from the Dun Mhuire performance in June.
Ms Hayes explained: ‘Every year we donate some of our proceeds from some of the shows to local worthy causes. Sometimes, it’s causes in our own area but we’ve raised money for the Women’s Refuge, the Alzheimer’s Society, and others. This year, we also raised €2,500 for the Special Olympics Club.’
She said that throughout the year the group takes part in various fundraising activities around the county.
‘We always feel that we have a great, loyal audience and we like to give back to the community that is supporting us.’