Heritage Island, Ireland's Visitor Attractions

Rehearsed Readings/Short Plays/Dramatisations
Begin Monday 14th May –Saturday 23rd June
Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Time 12.45pm
Admission: €8

Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre is introducing Discover Dalkey’s Literary Gems,a series of Rehearsed Readings and Short Plays beginning on May 14th at 12.45pm.The shows will be on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.Five of the weeks will feature the work of one writer. Week Four will have a compilation of writers’ work. The sessions will last no more than 50 minutes and will run until Saturday June 23rd.

Maeve Binchy: Deeply Regretted By
The programme will start on Monday May 14thwith a rehearsed reading by actors of international best-selling author and local resident, Maeve Binchy’s play ‘Deeply Regretted By…and continue on 17th and 19th. The story evolved from a real life family story that featured in the ‘Irish Times’ and was later developed by Maeve into an award-winning short play. This is an ideal opportunity to marvel at Maeve’s empathy with her characters and witness her keen ear and magical way of telling a good human interest story. The play won a number of awards for television drama including the Jacobs Award and Best Script in the Prague Television Festival.

Flann O’Brien:Week Two
This will feature the work of Flann O’Brien. On May 21st,24th and 26thscenes from ‘The Dalkey Archive’, ‘At Swim Two Birds’, ‘The Third Policeman’ and others. The hilarious Ringsend cow punching scene from ‘At Swim…’ will feature alongside some of the most famous ‘Brother’ scenes from the ‘Cruiskeen Lawn’.

George Bernard Shaw: Week Three
This will celebrate the work of George Bernard Shaw who wrote that the happiest moment if his life was when he heard he was going to live on Dalkey Hill. Michael James Ford from Bewley’s Café Theatre will direct his comedy ‘Village Wooing’ by GB Shaw on Monday 28thand Saturday June 2nd. (No show on Thursday 31st on account of the Referendum). This classic short comedy tells of two vastly mismatched young people whose hilarious verbal jousting leads to the unlikeliest of romances. There is one half day session of a major Shaw convention in Dalkey Castle on Friday June 1st.  A rehearsed reading of ‘An Elderly Gentleman’by GB Shaw will be open to the general publicthat day at 11.30am.

On Yer Bike… with Dalkey’s Writers:4th, 7th& 9th June
A compilation by Shay Linehan features a unique take on famous local writers James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, HughLeonard, Flann O’Brien, Maeve Binchy, John Millington Syngeand Joseph O’Connor in ‘On Yer Bike… with Dalkey’s Writers’. The show has a Flann O’Brien like character who is very well versed in all the literary luminaries ever associated with Dublin and Dalkey. He conjures up characters to play various well known scenes which will enlighten and entertain the audience.

James Joyce:Week Five
As this includes Bloomsday(Saturday 16th June), attention will centre on the work of James Joyce. On Monday 11th and Thursday 14ththe show will feature well-known humorous scenes from ‘Ulysses’. The audience will see scenes set on Sandymount Strand, Barney Kiernan’s Pub and the bedroom at 7 Eccles Street for part of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy.
The Dalkey Schoolroom Scene from Nestor episode of ‘Ulysses’ will be dramatised in the Heritage Centre on Saturday June 16that 15.30. This will be followed by a Guided Joycean Walk for those attending.

Hugh Leonard
The season will finish with a newly discovered play by HughLeonard about the fits ups (travelling theatre companies) in Ireland called ‘Magicality’ on Monday 18th Thursday 21st and Saturday 23rd June. In true Leonard fashion this brings humour and pathos to a scenario that was all too prevalent in Ireland in the 40s and 50s when the fit up touring companies travelled around Ireland putting ‘wild ideas into the heads of the local youth’!

All shows start at 12.45 and end by 13.45.
Admission is €8for each show.
Tokens are available for discount lunch on the day in local restaurants with admission ticket.
Free Guided Literary Walk in Dalkey for participants will occur at 3.00 pm on the days of the show.
Booking at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Tel 01 285 8366 or email maeve@dalkeycastle.com

Opening Times:
May 1^{s t} - August 31^st: 10.00 -18.00 Weekdays, 11.00 - 18.00 Weekends & Public holidays; Closed Tuesdays.
September 1^st - April 30^th: Weekdays 10.00 -17.00; Weekends/Public Holidays 11.00 -17.00; Closed Tuesdays.

Admission: €7 Adult, €6 Concession, €5 Child, €20 Family. Living History performance included in Admission price. Group booking is necessary.

Facilities: Dalkey is on the Dart Rail line: 30 minutes south from Dublin city. The number 8 bus will also get you there. Dalkey has a friendly village atmosphere on the coast with bars, bistros, restaurants & Art Galleries to complement your city experience.