Oh yes he is! Longest-serving panto Dame started run in 1958
Panto dame Declan Mangan: 'I do love the camaraderie and the adulation we get from the crowd.' Picture: Don MacMonagle
Oh yes he is! The man widely regarded as Ireland’s longest serving panto dame is set to don his gown and wig for a remarkable 60th panto season this weekend.
And oh no he isn’t! Beloved panto star Declan Mangan, 79, has confirmed he has absolutely no plans to hang up the stunning frocks and put away the makeup just yet, as he prepares for opening night of the annual Killorglin panto in Kerry.
Just weeks before his 80th birthday, Declan said: “I’m 79 going on 27. That’s how I feel, to be honest. Now, the dame’s strut across the stage may have a slight limp these days — I've had two hip replacements and survived an aneurysm — but there might be a 61st panto season in me yet.
“As a politician might say: ‘I’m not ruling anything in and I’m not ruling anything out’.”
Declan, a retired national school teacher, was speaking last night at the photoshoot to promote this year’s near sell-out Killorglin panto, , which opens on Saturday.
It may be his 60th panto season — Declan takes great pride in the fact that not even Covid disrupted their run — but he says he gets even more of a buzz out of performing now than he did when he first walked on stage at the local CYMS hall to play the wicked witch in in 1958, at the tender age of 14. He has appeared in 58 pantos consecutively since 1965.
Among the 59 pantos since have been , and .
“Rural electrification had just arrived in rural Kerry when we started. It’s a bit easier now to organise rehearsals with mobile phones and WhatsApp but the appeal of panto hasn’t changed in the slightest bit," he says.
“We still have great fun with rehearsals and I really enjoy mixing with the younger people — some of them nearly have the free travel! But I do love the camaraderie and the adulation we get from the crowd.
“And I can still fit into the same costume I used nearly 38 years ago. It’s been upcycled and recycled, and there may be two or three extra inches of material in the back, but it’s basically the same costume.”
This year’s show features an international cast of 14, including several new arrivals from Ukraine, a chorus of 25 and live music.
And it's real family affair, with several generations of the same families, working on stage, like Michael Francis O’Connor, who plays Sheik Hands, his son, Tom, who plays Elvis, and his daughters, Doireann and Emma, and backstage too where, Paul Walker, his daughter Tina, the stage manager, and her son Liam, help keep the show on the road.
In this year's show, Declan plays Dame Rosie Posie Violet Daisy Ó Cadogán Kelly in what's been billed as a near three-hour feast of comedy, colour, music and dance featuring an attempt to steal a cow, which escapes by jumping over the moon and lands in Mexico, where it’s mistaken by a local bull fighter as a great bull, before it escapes again to Las Vegas.
Along the way, the stars break down Trump’s wall and they meet Elvis. Declan’s wife, Anne, who has been making the costumes for the panto for decades, has tailored a spectacular Elvis costume. It’s being kept under wraps for opening night.
Declan said the show couldn’t go on without the help and support of the families of all the cast and crew.
But at the heart of it all is the Dame, which Declan says must ensure that everyone lives happily ever after.
“No matter what the panto is, it’s basically a story of goodies versus baddies, the dame and her love interest and chasing around the place.
- The Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe opens in the 330-capacity CYMS Hall in Killorglin for an eight show run this weekend, with 3pm matinee shows on January 21, 22, 29 and February 5, and night-time shows on January 25, 26, 27 and 28.
Tickets available at www.killorglinpanto[/ur]
or call 066-9790961
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