Writer Charlie McGuinness introduces his play Clarity at Last, joint winner of the 2024 P.J. O'Connor Awards, coming to Drama On One this September.
A man, his daughter and a Clob detail the events of an evening in their lives, and each in their own individual way find some clarity.... Seamus O'Rourke plays The Man, Eamonn Owens is the Clob and Aoibhéann McCann is The Daughter - listen to Clarity At Last above.
You can try to dress it up all you want, but writing is a selfish and ruthless activity.
A writer will take anything and everything at their disposal to try and create an engaging story. Fact. This mainly comes from some unexplained want within the writer to think it is a good idea to try and create a story. It may not make them a bad person, but this is just a warning for you so as to take as little or as much attention as you wish to what I am about to write!
In one part of my head I think the play is about a man eating custard and prunes of an evening as his daughter and hungover son in law battle over putting his grandchild to bed. But then another part of my head thinks the play is about moments in our lives that come out of nowhere and alter you for the rest of your days, for better or worse or both, and also whether you like it or not. I know it's a big jump from one to the other but maybe in listening to the play it may make sense!
The three characters in the play, like most of us in life, are trying to figure something out. They are trying to figure out the same question but coming at it from different angles. Over the course of the play, we hear the characters battling with themselves (and each other) to find an answer.
Eamonn Owens and Charlie McGuinness
The idea came one evening I was having custard and prunes in Kildallan with my father-in-law John O’Reilly. I then wrote the play for Hugh O’Brien from Cootehill as a on- person show for Culture Night 2022. Unfortunately Hugh was unable to do the show, but luckily my father Killian McGuinness stepped in and performed. He was kind of enthusiastic about the writing and suggested I should make it a longer play. He also guided me on the changing of the title, which was originally Clarity on the Last Day. And that is what brought it to the version it is now.
When I was told the team for the Drama On One production, I was delighted. Eithne's vision and feel for the script was beyond anything I had ever thought of the script. The casting of my fellow Carrigallen citizen Seamus O’Rourke (Hup Leitrim!) along with the wonderful voices of Aoibheann McCann and Eamonn Owens was class. To hear them deliver the lines was to hear the play a new. Alannah Thornburgh created a beautiful piece of music. With everything brought together under Damian Chennell's craftsmanship. All in, I think these people are going to make it a great show!
But then all these thoughts and observations of what I think the play is about or what I think you may want to hear about the play don’t really matter. The listener will and should make their own choices as to what the play is about - and if it’s any use!
Drama On One: Clarity at Last, RTÉ Radio 1, September 14th @ 8pm - listen to more from Drama On One here
