One-man blockbuster 'Pucked' will visit Tipperary venues on nationwide tour

'Pucked' is a fast-paced, comedic, theatrical, one-man blockbuster of a play that is about to be unleashed on audiences on its nationwide tour.

It tells the story of the young and ambitious Matty Daly. Immersed in the GAA from birth, Matty
has one dream and one dream only, to play on his senior team.

When Matty finally gets called up, we join him as he learns the hard way that playing senior isn’t
everything it’s cracked up to be.

'Pucked' tackles issues such as self-confidence, individualism, masculinity and ambition with humour and energy, all the while celebrating the greatest sport on earth, hurling.

Writer and performer, Cathal Ryan comes from The Ragg in Tipperary and jokes that there, you’re
born with a hurley in your hand.

Immersed in the GAA from a young age, he "lived in that bubble" until he found theatre at the age of 17. With a grand uncle involved in Thurles Drama Group, he went to plays often throughout childhood, but it never occurred to him that he could do it. Or, as he says, he never did it in case he’d miss training.

Cathal went to NUIG in Galway to study performance and made up for lost time by totally immersing
himself in theatre and performance. Cathal was then accepted onto The Lir Academy's BA Acting
degree, claiming one of the 16 places on offer. He completed his training in October 2021.

'Pucked' as a play came out of a conversation that Cathal had with Brendan Maher, artistic director of
The Source Arts Centre in Thurles. 

"Brendan attended an online graduation play of mine that fellow Lir graduate and Clonmel native Jack Reardon directed, and told me to get in touch when I graduated".

In 2022, Cathal met up with director Jack Reardon, the emerging Clonmel director who recently
directed the enormously successful From Out The Land in Clonmel as part of Art2023
commemorating the decade of centenaries.

Jack was the associate artist with the Clonmel Junction Arts Festival and was looking for a script to direct for the launch of Junction Festival Dome as a theatre venue, and which welcomed live audiences for the first time at the 2022 festival in July.

Endorsed by the GAA, this is a show for theatre and GAA fans alike.

'Pucked' will visiting The Source Arts Centre, Thurles (January 30 - February 1), Town Hall Theatre Galway (February 4), Watergate Theatre Kilkenny (February 13), Nenagh Arts Centre (February 15), Backstage Theatre Longford (February 20 - 21), Siamsa Tíre Kerry (February 23), Theatre Royal Waterford (February 25), Glór Ennis, Clare (February 26), Belltable Theatre Limerick (February 27 - 28), and the Riverbank Arts Centre Kildare (March 1).

SEE ALSO: Coldplay by Candlelight is coming to Tipperary