Holy show promised in Westlodge hotel

GLENGARRIFF playwright, Ray O’Sullivan, sought divine inspiration for his new play ‘A Papal Blessing’.

The two-act play – which opens at 8pm on Saturday, January 18th at the Westlodge Hotel in Bantry – promises to be a holy show.

People will already be familiar with Ray’s work because his last play ‘The Rise and Rise of the Healy-Raes’ was a sell-out success.

‘A Papal Blessing’ is an hilarious and frequently poignant account of the friendship between Martin and Seanie who were among the 300,000 people that attended the Youth Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul 11 in 1979.

However, their reasons for travelling to Galway that fine Autumn day couldn’t be more different. Now, it’s 40 years on and the Papal visit is still casting a long shadow over the lives of these two men.

Ray said: ‘The play delves into issues of identity, love and the relentless yearning to belong in an ever-changing rural Ireland. These are themes that I like to explore because they urge us to ask questions of ourselves.’

Directed by Pádraig Dennehy, this funny play stars Ray O’Sullivan as Martin, Eoin O’Sullivan as Seanie and Ann Eager as ‘Mammy.’

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