Skibbereen panto was always a local effort

LAST week saw the Transition Year students at Skibbereen’s secondary school putting on their stage show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

But, over 20 years ago, another highly-anticipated annual show in the town was a big community affair.

In 1983, Cinderella was the show of choice for the yearly pantomime in Skibbereen. The Southern Star reported that it had the ‘usual mixture of lively antics and light humour’ and was following in the footsteps of the shows that had been staged, at that point, for over 20 years.

It described the ‘tasteful handling’ of Cinderella’s transformation ‘from a kitchen servant into a mysterious and magnetic young woman fit for a prince’.

Members of the male cast included (front, from left): Pat Joe Dwyer, Michael White, Seamus Ryan and Frank Hickey. Standing: Donal Hourihane, John Hennessy, Teddy O’Regan, Liam O’Donovan, Richie Carthy, Michael Waugh, Seamus David and Leonard Desmond, musical director.

Gay Murray had the leading role while Patricia O’Regan was the fairy godmother and the ugly sisters were played by Donal Hourihane and John Hennessy. The dame was Seamus Davis and the ‘uncertain bridegroom’ was Seamus Ryan, wearing ‘a white suit and a Charlie Chaplin bower hat’.

The show was run by the De La Salle school’s past pupils’ union and drew massive crowds.

Members of the male chorus in De La Salle PPU Skibbereen panto included (front, from left): Mick Lynch, Gene O’Donovan and Mick McCarthy. Standing: Philip O’Regan, John Walsh, Cathal O’Regan, Liam O’Rourke, Cinn O’Mahony, Noel O’Donovan, David O’Shea and Charlie McCarthy.