Renowned playwright's performance in Tipperary village will help local shop remain open

Award-winning writer, director and actor Seamus O’Rourke will perform in Lorrha later this Saturday as part of a fundraising drama event for the SCEAL Community Group.

The Leitrim-based playwright will be in the north Tipperary village on to perform his new play, The Handyman, at St Ruadhan’s Hall in Lorrha at 8pm, and tickets can still be booked.

The one-man show has been described as “poetic, chaotic and funny”, and sees Seamus O’Rourke’s most recent creation, Hugh Spotten, pull asunder his rural Irish life. He was the man who got things done – Caretaker, Tea Maker and Grave-Digger (with his own crow-bar). But now, that’s all about to be taken away.

Seamus has been a full-time playwright and actor for the last decade, after initially working on the family farm, and as a carpenter.

He has over two million hits on YouTube and social media with his short stories, recitations and sketches, and regularly features on RTE Radio One’s Country Wide.

He has written a long list of plays including Ride On, dig, Down and The Trappe Family. He has directed with The Corn Mill Theatre, Backstage Theatre, Moth Productions and his own company, Big Guerilla Productions. His acting career has also seen him win Best Actor at the 2010 RTE All-Ireland Amateur Drama Finals, among many other accolades.

Seamus’s visit to Lorrha is a fundraiser for SCEAL (Social Community Enterprise for the Advancement of Lorrha/Rathcabbin).

Established in 2016 in response to the closure of the last shop in the village, the voluntary group has evolved over the last six years to manage a seven-day per week community shop in St Ruadhán’s Hall, and to promote the cultural and historical background of the parish.

SCEAL is in the process of building a new permanent home for the shop, adjoining the parish hall. Construction challenges have hampered progress however, and fundraising efforts are continuing to keep the project on track.

Chair of SCEAL, Patrick Cahalan, is delighted that Seamus is taking his talents to Lorrha.

“Seamus is a terrific Irish performer and we’re delighted to welcome him down to Lorrha later this month. Our parish has a proud tradition of amateur play production, so we’re confident that parishioners and neighbours from across north Tipperary and further afield will enjoy this performance of his new play.

“Funds raised from this event will continue to support our ongoing efforts to secure a permanent home for the SCEAL shop in the village, and support our other annual community efforts. This promises to be a fantastic night’s entertainment, so we encourage people to book their tickets as soon as possible,” he said.

Around 150 tickets (€15 each) are available for the production on November 19th (curtains up – 8pm), and they can be booked through Patrick Cahalan, 087-6962490; or Nancy White, 087-7613458