Members of the Lixnaw based Memory Lane Theatre group staged a cheque presentation ceremony there on Tuesday evening as the unfolding and tragic events of their neighbourhood were about to cloud and shock the parish.
Cheques for €4,100 each were presented to Lixnaw Hospice and to the Palliative Care Unit at Kerry University Hospital.
Jack Shanahan from this parish, in his role of chairman of the Castleisland fundraising branch of the Kerry Hospice Foundation, travelled to Lixnaw to accept the cheque and to thank the group directly for its achievements in raising such a sum through its artistic endeavours.
Hard to Believe
“It is hard to believe that deep tragedy was unfolding in the midst of profound human kindness in Lixnaw on Tuesday evening,” said Jack looking back on the evening.
“We assembled in Padraig Dennehy’s house and delightful gardens, we were there to accept a donation of deep generosity to Kerry Hospice and Palliative Care services.
Taking Positive Action
“I was telling them that their production of a comedy, produced totally outdoors, was a perfect example of a community taking a positive action.
“It was a genuinely good event. The sadness that we all feel at the unfolding events, a short distance away, is all the deeper.
“On behalf of Kerry Hospice Foundation, we extend our deep sympathy to the family, friends and neighbours affected by the sad events,” said Mr. Shanahan.
Grounds of the Presbytery
Memory Lane Theatre was formed in Lixnaw in the spring of this year to honour the memory of past drama group members who had died from cancer.
The group performed the play Roadside outdoors on the grounds of the Presbytery in Lixnaw for eight nights during a spell of particularly obliging weather.
They also performed it for one final night in Dingle at Gallarus Oratory.
Play From the 1940s
Roadside, the play, was written in the mid 1940s by John McDonnell under the pen-name, Noel Marian and it deals with the swapping of the roles of a manor dweller and a man of the road.
The outdoor set, the camp fire, the aroma of burning wood, the barrel top, the big house in the background, the skill of the cast and director, Pádraig Dennehy – all contributed hugely to the unique atmosphere.
Out Under the Sky
There was a sense of purity and reality around this very worthwhile experiment in taking performance out under the sky and back to its cradle of creativity and inspiration.
Under director, Pádraig Dennehy, the cast included: Ciarán Ó Murchú, Roisín Power, Chris Fitzgerald, Maria Conway, Siobhán Gloria and Emily Keane.
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