Marina Carr's challenging play for Kildare stage

The Moat Club will stage Offaly playwright, Marina Carr’s,  “On Raftery’s Hill,” in February.

The Moat Club has staged a number of plays by Carr, one of Ireland’s best living playwrights.

This challenging play will run at the Moat Theatre this month from Tuesday, February 11 to Saturday, February 15 (8.00pm).

The play is about an Offaly family, the Rafterys, a  prominent rural family of the area preparing for the wedding of the youngest daughter, 18-year-old Sorrell. 

The audience will reassess what they believe to be acceptable in family life. It  is a powerful play touching on difficult and challenging issues of violence and sexuality. 

The Moat has said some might find some scenes distressing.

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The Moat Club won the All-Ireland Drama Festival in 2000 with another of Carr’s plays, By the Bog of Cats. 

The cast includes All-Ireland Drama Festival award winners with Gerard O’Shea, who plays Dara Mood, the reigning All-Ireland best supporting actor, Conor O’Connell, who plays Ded Raftery, a former all-Ireland best actor, Conal Boyce (Red Raftery) winner of best supporting actor award on two occasions, and three-time winner of the best actress award Bredha Sexton (Shalome Raftery). 

Also on the stage will be Eilish Rafferty (Dinah Raftery), Clodagh Cummins (Sorrell Raftery) and Michael McHugh (Isaac Dunn). 

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The play is directed by Lianne O’Shea,  an all-Ireland best lighting winner.

After the performance on Friday, February 14, Dr Brenda Donohue will chair a post-show discussion with invited guests along with director, Lianne O’Shea, in which they will consider On Raftery's Hill in the context of Carr's other works, examining themes such as sexual violence, power, community and the family.  

Tickets for the show cost €15/€12 on www.moattheatre.com