Play: It's the Real McCoy

I heard about It's the Real McCoy from a friend. It was running in Glor in Ennis on a weekend I was back, and sounded ok, so we decided to go. We picked a couple of seats at the edge of Row H - two seats on their own, about two rows up in the tiered section. And so it was that we headed to the show in Ennis tonight.

We had errands to run on the way, but things ran pretty smoothly. We had to run to my uncle's, then to the pharmacy, then for petrol, then headed for something to eat in the Poet's Corner pub in the Old Ground Hotel, conveniently across the road from the cathedral, where we could get Mass, and still make it in time for the show. We parked on the road between the hotel and the cathedral, where there were a good number of spaces, and paid 30c for half an hour's parking. Which took us up to 5.59, with parking charges ending at 6pm. I figured we were fairly safe! Better that than searching for free parking at the hotel, whose car park is woefully inadequate, and was full to bursting as we walked through.

We had arrived early enough that the pub was only about half full, and we had no trouble finding a table, getting a full-size one complete with couch. I certainly can't complain about the service, which was as efficient as any I've seen - the menus were on the table, and we had chosen what we wanted to eat by the time our drinks arrived. Seriously, our food arrived within ten minutes! Never seen better. As usual, I had the chicken kiev and my mother had the plaice. Unfortunately, we'd forgotten that two pieces of plaice is the normal portion size. It was too much for my mother, who asked for the second piece to be wrapped (the sundry animals at home greatly enjoyed it later). We were finished our main courses before 6, with Mass not until half past, so we also had dessert. My mother was immediately drawn to the passion fruit pannacotta, and I to the profiteroles. She was delighted with hers - mine, unfortunately, primarily tasted of burnt pastry. As we were eating, the pub quickly filled up around us, and by the time we were finished, a family was gagging for our table.

We left just in good time for Mass, carefully crossing the road through the now busy traffic, and took a seat near the side entrance, which opens onto the road where I was parked. It was a month's mind Mass, with a small musical group at the side of the altar. The priest was rather long-winded, and my mother was worried about getting to Glor in time to get a decent parking space, near the entrance. So we left as soon as Communion was over.

It's not far from there to Glor, and when we arrived, there were plenty of spaces. After I parked - carefully, in an attempt to ensure a swift exit - we went in and took a seat in the lobby, as the auditorium wasn't open yet. I fancied more wine. My mother didn't, and was wondering what else she might have, as their tea's no good - just at that point, the guy unveiled the ice cream cart! So she had one of those. And we checked out the adjacent bookshelves, where you can take and leave books, free of charge. We each took one, and vowed to bring some of our own next week, when we'll be there again for a Christy Moore concert. Then we ran into some neighbours, and chatted away until it was time to go in.

No problem finding our seats, I remembered them from the seating plan. My mother was delighted with them - we have seats on the flat for the concert, though. Never mind. I noticed that, for this show, they'd added two extra rows of seating! It soon became apparent why, as the venue was absolutely packed. Indeed, some people arrived quite late, and we speculated that they'd had trouble parking, maybe had to walk a distance from the car.

The play is set in the rural West of Ireland in 1964, where Madge Molloy has become embittered after having been without her husband for the past 43 years! He walked out on her after less than five months of marriage, when she was pregnant. She hasn't heard anything from him since. However, the new curate in town - Father McCoy - might be able to cast some light on the matter..!

The aforementioned Father McCoy turned out also to be the playwright. As he explained after the curtain calls, his thought in writing this was to provide a good, clean comedy that could be enjoyed by all the family. And this he achieved. In parts, it might seem a bit over the top, but the excellent cast go at it with gusto, and it's impossible not to laugh. We have the battleaxe Madge, her daughter, Maura, and Maura's boyfriend. It's a real shame that I can't find a cast list anywhere, because whoever played that part is a terrific comic actor. The priest does a great job of looking scared, and great comedy is provided by the next-door neighbours, Nora and Cora O' Hora - mother and daughter, who spend most of their time snooping, and during the second half peek in the window, uttering comments just like Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets.

The playwright also founded the company - the Crokey Hill Club. Their stated aim is to provide quality comedy to the West of Ireland, and this is their second play. They've toured the States and the UK, and are currently touring Ireland. Check out their website and catch them if you can - they've finished in Ennis now, but will be touring until 5th July.

For tomorrow, I've been looking at the Limerick City of Culture events, and I see there's a classical concert in St. Mary's Cathedral - Reflecting Strings. Cool! There doesn't seem to be an advance booking facility, but we can rock along for 8 and see..