Hat-trick for the Kilmeen players

You almost couldn’t script it: Kilmeen Drama Group from West Cork has been crowned All-Ireland Champions for an unprecedented third time in a row, in a triumph that mixed joy and deep emotion following a tumultuous year.

The Kilmeen players, based in Rossmore near Clonakilty, beat off competition from around the country to secure the title at the 61st RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival in Athlone, creating history as the first group to ever pull off three successive wins.

Kilmeen’s innovative production of JM Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World also helped secure cast member Nora Scannell the award for Best Supporting Actress, and the team’s long journey home from the Midlands was complete last night with a homecoming, first in Clonakilty and then in Rossmore.

The group will tread the boards at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre later this month, part of their prize, but yesterday the scale of their success was just beginning to sink in.

Christy O’Sullivan, one of the 35 cast and crew from Kilmeen involved in the production, said the group’s success was “very emotional” particularly as the play this year had two directors — the late Tim Coffey, who passed away in March following an illness, and Tim O’Donovan, who stepped in following Tim’s death.

Christy himself played Old Mahon, father of the Playboy Christy Mahon, who was played in turn by Denis O’Sullivan — Christy’s own son.

“Tim Coffey was the director and he died in March and Kevin took over and finished off the production. For that reason it was a hugely emotional night for everybody,” Christy said.

Mr Coffey’s two sons were also in the cast and Christy said: “What would have helped is an extremely strong bank of players have been built up in recent years in Rossmore.”

The village plays host to its annual festival and the tradition of drama in the area continues to thrive, with Christy claiming the “community spirit is stronger” in the rural areas that are the hotbeds of amateur drama.

Next Sunday night the group will stage Playboy in the Rossmore Drama Hall, with proceeds going to Brú Columbanus near Cork University Hospital — payback for the help given to the Coffey family prior to Tim’s passing.

Last night the history makers were received by Clonakilty Town Council and then they headed back to base where the celebrations continued.

Christy said of the hat-trick: “It’s unlikely it will ever be repeated”, but maybe they shouldn’t write off the chance of four-in-a-row just yet.