Disco Pigs: Play that launched Cillian Murphy to get 30th anniversary revival in Cork
Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh in Disco Pigs in
1996. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive
Cork’s most famous play is about to get a revival to mark its 30th anniversary. the 1996 tale from Corcadorca theatre company that spawned the career of Cillian Murphy, has been announced as part of the Everyman’s new season.
While Murphy and co-star Eileen Walsh won’t be reprising their roles, playwright Enda Walsh is returning to Cork to direct the work that set him on the path to international renown.
The 59-year-old went on to work with the likes of David Bowie on the play has recently penned the script for a new version of the film, and was tempted back to his old Leeside stomping ground by Des Kennedy, artistic director of the Everyman.
“I like to programme Cork-related material, and I knew it was the 30th anniversary of Disco Pigs, so I approached Enda. I was delighted when he said he’d love to direct it himself,” says Kennedy, who’d previously worked with Walsh on the stage musical version of
“I remember seeing the original as a teenager with Cillian and Eileen at the Old Museum Arts Centre in Belfast. I was a young lad from the Twinbrook estate in West Belfast and I loved the two defiant angry teenagers that the world didn’t give a shit about. It was just intoxicating.”
After debuting at the Triskel in Cork, went on to win numerous awards, and toured in Ireland and the UK, eventually being adapted into a film.
Auditions for the city-set play’s roles of Pig and Runt have already been held in Cork, Dublin, and Kilburn, with final casting details for the November run expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
original director Pat Kiernan isn’t involved in the production this time around, but he does helm one of a series of readings of new plays that are also on the Everyman’s upcoming roster. Also involved in that series is creator Lisa McGee, venturing south to direct a female-led comedy set during a wedding day.
Other highlights of the Everyman’s new season include – adapted from Blarney musician Mick Flannery’s debut album – and a site-specific piece directed by Kennedy himself that will be staged at the empty swimming pool of the nearby Metropole Hotel’s former health centre.
Offerings as part of Cork Midsummer Festival include by Cork-born Emer Dineen, which received widespread praise during its original run at Dublin Theatre Festival in 2024.
Full details of the Everyman season will be revealed at a launch event on Tuesday evening (April 21), with tickets for the productions also going on sale in the coming days.
- See everymancork.com
