Old friends lie Beyond the Brooklyn Sky

Michael Hilliard Mulcahy’s play, Beyond the Brooklyn Sky, deals with the generation that emigrated from Ireland in the 1980s and returned, some without having fulfilled their dreams.

Produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company and directed by Peter Sheridan, the play, set in the present day, is character-driven, says Mulcahy. It has a cast of seven. The main characters are Jack Flynn, a pilot, and Brendy, who has set himself a challenge.

Jack has fulfilled his ambition to fly a single-engine aircraft across the Atlantic, from New York to Farranfore Airport, in Co Kerry. The play is set in Brandon, in Co Kerry. “A group of friends who went to the States reunites in the local community centre where they misspent their youth. They’re there to celebrate Jack’s achievement. It’s also an opportunity for the friends to catch up.” There are tensions, and rivalry between Jack and Brendy. One member of the group went missing in America. He is a ‘ghostly’ presence.