Tom McCarney as Tom Maher, Rory McCarney as Curly, with Bronagh Kelly as Curly’s love interest Eileen Tierney and Teresa Campbell as Mary Kate Maher. DP61
Speaking about the Cavanacarragh Players’ most recent production, director John McCann reasons; “at the moment what we have in Ireland is another brain drain. And it’s hardly surprising in view of the way things are economically – ambitious young people don’t have a choice. It’s either travel or remain here frustrated and unfulfilled.”
John says that this was the reason for the Players’ most recent selection of play for production. John goes on to say that, “it’s a rural drama of the style that the Players are renowned for, but it’s also a thought-provoking piece that contains a lot of pathos and a good few laughs.”
The Country Boy written by Mayo native John Murphy tells the story of Tom and Mary Kate Maher who have lost one son to emigration and are in danger of losing their second when the lure of a better life in America beckons him. When Eddie returns from New York on holiday with his wife Julia, the glamour of the states seems even more appealing to Curley whose friction with his father on how the family farm should be run is a point of comedy all too familiar to rural communities.
The Country Boy is a play which entertains the audience from the opening curtain and contains bitter-sweet comedy balanced with nuanced questions about the times that we find ourselves in and the nature of family relations.
The play builds on the successes of recent years including the outstandingly successful production of Affluence by Wesley Burrowes which the Players staged last season. John McCann says that “Last year’s production was our most ambitious so far and the Players will be forever indebted to our previous director, Pat Murphy, who breathed new life into us over the past six years and left us the healthy, thriving organisation that we are today.”
John went onto say that, “The Country Boy is a much more intimate production and as usual we have a very entertaining show, which we know will please our very discerning audiences who keep coming year after year.
The Country Boy runs in Cavanacarragh Community Centre for two nights: Friday 8th March and Sunday 10th March. Doors open 8.00, performance 8.30.
