'A total mind melt': Eileen Walsh on her 24-hour play at Cork Midsummer Festival 

Yoga and mothering young children are just two of the experiences that Walsh hopes will help her through her acting marathon in The Second Woman 

Eileen Walsh is currently preparing for The Second Woman, at Cork Opera House. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

Cork actor Eileen Walsh is not afraid of a challenge. Fresh from her role in the acclaimed film Small Things Like These, which she starred in opposite her long-time friend and co-star Cillian Murphy, the 48-year-old is taking on a new theatrical feat that will test both her acting skills and her stamina.

This weekend, she takes on the role of Virginia in The Second Woman at Cork Opera House during Cork Midsummer Festival, playing a seven-minute scene opposite the character of Marty, an intimate moment in which their relationship has lost its spark. The twist? She has never met the man playing Marty. Also, the scene repeats with a different actor each time, some of whom have never acted before. A hundred different men.  And she has to do it for 24 hours straight.