Joe Meehan Tribute Exhibition

As part of our production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” in the Hawk’s Well Theatre this November, we will be hosting an exhibition in association with the Hawk’s Well Theatre celebrating the contribution of the late Joe Meehan to both Sligo Drama Circle and the Hawk’s Well Theatre.

Like many others of his generation, the name of Joe Meehan is synonymous with drama and the theatre in Sligo. Joe was a long-standing member of Sligo Drama Circle and was active in many roles within the group over many decades.

Joe’s involvement with Sligo Drama Circle probably dates back to the 1960s and from then on, he took a central part in all of the activities of Sligo Drama Circle, either on stage or in a background role.

Joe was part of the Sligo Drama Circle group which pioneered the “Theatre For Sligo” project throughout the 1970s, culminating in the opening of the Hawk’s Well Theatre in 1982, a cherished dream for many in Sligo Drama Circle at the time.

Initially, Joe was part of a small group formed to identify a site for the proposed theatre and when, after an exhaustive two-year search, they had come up empty-handed, it was frivolously suggested that the Catholic bishop at the time, Dr. Dominic Conway, should be approached and asked for a site for the theatre in the grounds of the Peace Park.

Within a week Joe, along with Liam Mc Kinney and Pádraig Foran of Sligo Drama Circle, met the bishop and at that meeting Dr. Conway immediately agreed to provide a site to Sligo Drama Circle for the building of a theatre. This was a pivotal moment in the development of a purpose-built theatre for the Sligo public.

After the Hawk’s Well Theatre was officially opened on January 12th 1982, Joe took an active role in the fledgling theatre and was a member of its first Board of Directors, serving in that role for many years. Joe took this role seriously and attended almost anything in the new theatre that was drama-related, always keeping a programme or poster for posterity.

Indeed, it was this habit of Joe’s to hold on to memorabilia related to Sligo Drama Circle and the theatre that instigated the development of our archive. It was Joe who started us off by donating to us much of what he had collected over the years – photographs, posters, flyers and theatre programmes. This collection now forms part of our extensive and varied archive and we have Joe to thank for much of its contents.

Shortly after the opening of the theatre, Joe was also instrumental, along with Mary Mac Donagh, in the formation of Sligo Fun Company, whose ethos was to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to become involved in musical theatre in a non-competitive environment. From its first production of “The Witness” in 1983, Sligo Fun Company has continued to thrive and become synonymous with the Hawk’s Well Theatre.

A Sligo man through and through, many people will remember Joe from his shop at Market Cross. Indeed, people have remarked that Joe would have been equally happy to talk to a customer about drama and the theatre as he would be to sell them a garment.

Joe liked to keep abreast of what was current in the world of drama and he was always reading a play or adding a new script to his extensive library which he had collected over the years.

Joe was proud of his Sligo roots and was equally proud of the role of Sligo Drama Circle in the social and cultural history of the town. He was also immensely proud of the role of Sligo Drama Circle in the development a permanent theatre in Sligo. Joe passed away in April of this year, but he has left a tremendous dramatic and theatrical legacy to the people of Sligo. This commemorative photographic exhibition pays tribute to Joe and the great contribution that he has made both to Sligo Drama Circle and to the Hawk’s Well Theatre.

Incidentally, the last time that “The Importance of Being Earnest” was produced by Sligo Drama Circle was in 1975, and the director for that production was Joe Meehan!