Major Award For Sligo Group At All-Ireland Festival

Sligo Drama Circle gained a notable success at the All-Ireland Drama Festival at Athlone when Walter Mc Donagh’s production of “Purgatory” (W. B. Yeats) took the major award in the one-act section. The two characters were played by Lionel Gallagher, The Boy, and Eddie Fitzpatrick, The Old Man. The play also won the production award. It was the second success in the one-act section at Athlone for Mr. Mc Donagh.

“A thoroughly satisfying achievement” commented the adjudicator, Mr. Adrian Rendle, on the presentation by the Drama Circle of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” at the Festival. Mr. Rendle said that visually it was a wonderful production of “dream quality”. Imelda Walsh as Laura had the trickiest part in the whole gamut of Williams but she played it with great sensitivity. Whilst Shane Cleary as Tom gave a sterling performance, he felt he was too vitriolic against himself instead of against the atmosphere created by his mother.

The part of Amanda by Joan Fitzpatrick was excellently conceived but he thought she was a bit young for the part. The music, he said, was very well integrated in the production. He added that Eddie Fitzpatrick gave an outstandingly tender and sensitive performance of the part of Jim. The performance did not feature in the awards.

from The Sligo Champion, May 2nd, 1969