Offaly group provides powerful performance of original new musical

A POWERFUL performance of a new original musical, The Singing River, by Birr Stage Guild, had audiences captivated during its run at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre last week.

Based on true events which happened in the town over 100 years ago, the show told the tragic story of three young men who were executed during the bitter Civil War. It was a tale that had hope and joy but ultimately ended in tragedy.

The work of local man Michael Donegan, who also was the director and made an appearance on stage as a soldier, it was a thought provoking story, which highlighted the senseless loss of life of so many Irish people during that conflict. As is so evident in today's world, war has a huge human cost. The three young men featured had so much to offer, they had a strong friendship and wanted to do something for their country but ultimately they paid the price with their lives and their families and friends were left behind to grieve them.

This is a chapter of Birr's history that is not very well known and from that perspective it will have enlightened audiences about what went on in the county over 100 years ago. A plaque commemorating the executions is located on the Keep Gate at Birr Castle and a wreath was laid there in January 2023 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the executions.

The performance on opening night earned a well deserved standing ovation. The cast were excellent throughout, with quality acting, strong singing and good movement. The tension was palpable as the three men faced imminent death and following their execution, there was a deathly silence in the auditorium and you could almost hear a pin drop as the audience was so engrossed in the narrative.

That is a credit to the director Michael Donegan, along with his co-director Laura McDowall, who certainly had the cast expertly prepared. They were able to maintain the tension at that stage while earlier the exhuberance and excitement of the three young men was evident for all to see. The main characters were formed and they got strong support from the remainder of the Ensemble.

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This was the debut performance of The Singing River, which centres on the story of three young Tullamore men, William Conroy, Patrick Cunningham and Colm Kelly, who met a tragic end. Carefree young men with dreams of heading to America to make their fortune, they were full of life, ambition and boyish enthusiasm.

However their lives changed when they got involved in the Civil War and ended up on the wrong side of the law. Arrested for possessing a gun, they were tried and sentenced to death. The emotional turmoil they faced at that time is explored as they realised what they were leaving behind and how a 'foolish prank' had such devasting consequences. They were executed in the grounds of Birr Castle on January 26^th 1923.

The three main characters were played by three young men, all relative newcomers to the stage, and that was heartening to see. Alex Byrne played William Conroy, Cameron O'Sullivan filled the role of Patrick Cunningham and Jack Marshall played the role of Colm Kelly. These were three big parts with a lot of dialogue and they were involved on stage for most of the production, so a lot of the success of the musical was laid on their shoulders and it is to their enormous credit that they carried it off so well. It would have been extremely hard for three other actors with greater experience to have done a better job than these three young men. From the very off they exuded confidence on stage, they interacted very well with each other and they brought the three characters to life. Their characters evolved as the story unfolded and they displayed the emotions and trauma of facing death accurately. All three deserve great praise for their performances and it augurs well for the future of the Stage Guild to have such talented young people at their disposal.

There were strongly backed by the rest of the cast. Tony Carroll gave a wonderful portrayal of the drunk Jem, with Jacalyn Blake giving a confident performance as Mary Battles. Robert Alexander was commanding as Captain McGuinness as he turned down the efforts of the three young men to join the IRA's fight and he was ably backed by Dermot Horan as the Sentry.

Conor McDowall gave an assured performance as Martin, from whom the three young men acquired the gun which ultimately cost them their lives, while Luke John Ryan gave a lively depiction of the Farmer.

Eabha McDowall was excellent William Conroy's girlfriend Sheila and the scene involving the two of them at the start of Act two was wonderfully played. Their duet 'Somewhere only we know' was beautifully performed.

Mary Hoctor and Allie Harding played Patrick Cunningham's mother and sister, Brigid and Sally, respectively. They combined excellently with strong individual performances in the scene involving the three of them, culminating in the evocative singing of 'Never Be The Sun', joined by the female ensemble.

The interaction between Darren Madden as the Free State Officer and Adrian Shine as Father Gaynor was taut, tense and powerful and both played their parts with great conviction.

The set was very simple and the use of the video screen as a backdrop to provide settings for the different scenes was very effective. Old street scenes from Tullamore, the Keep Gate at Birr Castle and other scenes set the scene in an appropriate manner.

While the story is set in 1923, some of the music was much more modern with songs from Bruce Springsteen, Credence Clearwater Revival, Keane and Sting, along with some more traditional numbers featured, and maybe some of the songs felt a little out of place for the era, but that would only be a very minor quibble.

This was a well told story and performed to a very high standard and it was refreshing to see a new original musical. It was an undoubted success and that is a huge credit to everyone involved and it was wonderful to see such quality and talent on a local stage.

Cast

William Conroy – Alex Byrne; Patrick Cunningham – Cameron O'Sullivan; Colm Kelly - Jack Marshall; Mary Battles – Jacalyn Blake; Jem – Tony Carroll; Sentry – Dermot Horan; Captain McGuinness – Robert Alexander; Martin – Conor McDowall; Sheila – Eabha McDowall; Brigid Cunningham – Mary Hoctor; Sally Cunningham – Allie Harding; Farmer – Luke John Ryan; Free State Officer – Darren Madden; Father Gaynor – Adrian Shine.

Ensemble – Aisling Boyd, Anna Boyd, Tara Connolly, Mairead Moylan Egan, SaoirseJane Egan, Alison Enright, Noeleen Harding, Chloe Hynes, Molly Kavanagh, Cushla King, Saragene Loughnane, Jecella O'Meara, Adrian Sheils.

Production Team

Director – Michael Donegan; Co-Director – Laura McDowall; Musical Director – Gregory Ward; Choreographer – Lisa Hogan; Show Co-ordinator - Mairead Moylan Egan; Lighting – Conor Keaveny; Sound – Stage Screens; Prompt – Aileen Quaid.

Orchestra

Piano – Gregory Ward; Guitar & Uileann Pipes – William Holmes; Fiddle – Tom Holmes; Accordion, Banjo & Mandolin – James Kinsella; Bass – Kieran Egan; Drums – Conor Guinan.

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