How an Athlone man's play reached the Edinburgh Fringe

A creative moment during the pandemic marked the start of a local man's journey which culminated with an appearance at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival last August.

A publican based in Galway city, Athlone native Malachy Duggan was unaware of what the future held for the industry as Covid-19 remained a concerning presence. Thoughts turned towards his life experiences and the generational interactions which are a regular feature at both of his pubs, The Blue Note and Massimos.

"I was standing at the door of my pub one night and was asked by a young group of students to stand aside as I was 'in the way'.

"That started the thought process that there is now a generation clash where those of a certain age are experiencing a different way of life to the one I and my friends enjoyed in the '90s and early '00s," Malachy said.

Originally from The Berries on the Roscommon Road, the former St Aloysius College student has resided in Galway since 1994. Having worked in the pub trade for decades he is arguably one of the city's best known 'adopted sons'.

"With a keen interest in the arts (Galway being a city synonymous with theatre) and having written a camping 'hack' book with my wife Carrie, entitled 'Camping Soul Food', I thought about writing a short story based on the generational clash.

"So began the script process as I recalled my teenage years going to the numerous night clubs in Athlone, The Paddock, Ginkels, Bozos, all of which hold great memories. It truly was the best time.

"Together with my friends we got to live a life where social media wasn't prevalent, smartphones were in their infancy and not all the contents of a night out were made available for all to view.

"Nightclubs were always an end point for a social occasion in the 90s and 00s, but now there is only one open in Galway while 70 remain operational nationwide, so today's generation are going through completely different social experiences," Malachy stated.

What was intended as a short story soon gathered pace as Malachy married his life experiences in Athlone with those that came to light courtesy of the third-level student population during his time as a publican in Galway.

As the short story expanded a close friend of Malachy's, Emily Aherne of the Galway based Hysteria Téater, reached out and it became clear that there was potential for his writing to be turned into a play.

"Emily was was the initial catalyst and, working as a pair, 'Jezahel - Vampires Can't Weld' came to fruition," he said.

"In essence, the play centres on a certain generation of 'ravers' who go to a nightclub they formerly frequented and are completely lost in their modern day surrounds, the music and culture being alien to them.

"They long for their formative years of socialising and have little in common with the young 'ravers' who appear to be zoned in to social media use with little interaction," Malachy said.

A 20-minute production of the play took place in The Blue Note on Culture Night 2023 and proved such a success that it then played to an audience in the popular Roisin Dubh.

"Having expanded the length of the play, we decided to perform it in the Town Hall Theatre in Galway, which was immediately sold out, before we travelled to Dublin and Cork for performances that were also well-received in both cities," Malachy continued.

Ambitions heightened, the words 'what if' entered the minds of both writer and creative director.

"What if we could bring this production to the world's most famous arts arena, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?" he recalled.

"We had to find a venue to host the play initially and, after much research, the Mash House on Guthrie Street were willing to facilitate our play.

"With a cast and crew of 19, there was a need to fundraise in advance to enable us travel with the play and, thanks to the goodwill of so many, we achieved our financial target to realise this dream," Malachy added.

The play performed in the 11pm-12am slot for one week in Edinburgh in August 2024. This was, Malachy said, a "surreal" and "completely humbling" experience and "one which will live in my memory forever".

Now working on his second play called 'Safe Pass' a one man production in which the audience decides from one of five different ending scenarios, Malachy remains engaged in the creative process.

Complementing his 'Camping Soul Food' book, 'The Irish Condiment Book' is mid-production. The book, when published, will detail recipes from condiment makers in Ireland and the reasons as to why each started their respective business.

Malachy is also 'giving back' to the arts this summer season - he is one of the founders of the West End Theatre and Arts Festival which is to take place in Galway in July.

"In tandem with Emily and Jess Harkin from Hysteria Téatar, we thought we would continue to promote the arts scene in Galway and, to that end, the West End Theatre and Arts Festival was born.

"Pubs, cafés and restaurants will turn into venues and allow for arts groups to perform their productions free of charge.

"Should their performances gain the same traction as 'Jezahel - Vampires Can't Weld' then it might just the starting point for a rewarding experience in theatre for the cast and crews," Malachy concluded.