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Highest House

After a very successful performance in the Source Arts Centre, Thurles, the previous week, the Fionn MacCumhaill Players returned to their home patch of Cloneen and Fethard on Friday, Saturday and Sunday last. The play in question as a lesser known John B. Keane work “Highest House on the Mountain”. Perhaps this play could best be described as a tragi-comedy with strong adult themes. The eight strong cast performed the three act play brilliantly in Cloneen on Friday night, though regrettably the audience as on the small side.

Happily, Saturday and Sunday nights were much better at the box office. The play deals with the extended Bannon family who live on a farm in the foothills of a mountain. The father Mikey Bannon (a widower) sees his two sons Patrick (an alcoholic) and Connie (a black sheep return to the family home from the city, in England).

Sonny Bannon (Mikeys brother and a bit of an oddball) lives with Mikey though he has his own farm towards the top of the mountain. Sheila Moloney (a neighbours child) is fond of Connie while Julie Bannon is Patrick’s new wife. Two helpful countrymen are played by locals Eddie Duggan and Gerry Dorney when they bring home the injured and drunk Patrick on Christmas Eve. Both discharge their duties well. Patrick (Aidan Clancy) was very convincing in his role of the alcoholic brother. His brother Connie (Noel Clancy) is a nasty piece of work. He has broken the hearts of numerous women in the pas and now dies the same to the somewhat young and innocent Sheila (Holly Williamson). In the end, Sheila (Holly) is left in the lurch.

The remaining trio were my stars of the show. Fiona George as Julie Bannon (Patrick’s wife) is a woman with a past but has a good heart. She came across well. The brothers Mikey (Pat Dunne) and Sonny (Trevor Somers) have their characters developed as the play progresses.

Trevor will be appearing on “Ceart agus Coir” on TG4 next month. Pat Dunne (Mikey) provides most of the comedy in the play from beginning to end. He gave a sterling performance and established great rapport with the audience. There is always more to a play than the cast. In this case, we must refer to the set which definitely transported us in time back to the 1950’s and 1960’s. It placed us well in preformica days. We must congratulate Pat Williamson who brought the whole play together. We wish the extended cast the best of luck when their run comes to an end in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny on this Wednesday night February 20^th. It will be people’s last chance to see an excellent and enjoyably show.