AN award-winning Dublin actor and writer says he is "buzzing" to bring his hit play to West Belfast next week for the first time.
'Ireland's Call' by John Connors follows the lives and family histories of three young men as they grow up in Coolock on Dublin’s Northside and questions what events shapes them and entices them to a life of crime.
Developed as part of Show in a Bag, an artist development initiative of the Dublin Fringe Festival, Connors's debut stage drama has toured to 22 venues in Ireland. He has also performed it in New York, Paris, Sydney and Melbourne.
After a successful spell in the Lyric Theatre, Connors had been due to perform in the Roddy McCorley's in 2020 but had to postpone it due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Born in London to an Irish Traveller family, Connors moved to Dublin with his family as a baby. His father suffered from depression and schizophrenia and took his own life when John was just eight-years-old.
Connors began boxing at a young age after being bullied – he's a former three-time Irish boxing champion and a four nations boxing gold medallist.
After giving up the sport in his late teens he was persuaded to take up acting in a bid to help him battle depression.
Connors is best known for his role as pipe bomber Patrick Ward in the RTÉ series Love/Hate – a role he is grateful for as it opened opportunities in acting and activism, using his public profile to speak out about the Traveller community, as well as about racism, abortion and depression.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, John explained: "I did this play in Ireland from 2018 to 2020 and was meant to perform in the Roddy's but Covid stopped that happening.
"I have brought it to Europe, USA and Australia. I always wanted to come back to West Belfast with it. I did it in the Lyric Theatre and it went down really well but I just know the people of West Belfast will really relate to it because it is a real working class tale.
"The play has themes that people can relate to. My mother is from West Belfast and that is a big part of the play. Other themes like the Troubles, republicanism, class, addiction and trauma but there is a lot of laughter too.
"Many of the issues in West Belfast are the same in where I am am from in Darndale, which is a working class area on the Northside of Dublin. Issues like intergenerational trauma, mental health and addiction are prevalent in both areas.
"For me, it is the humour of the play that makes it what it is. For me, working class people deal with all those issues through humour. The funniest people in Ireland are from Belfast. I just know that audience reaction to the play will be there in West Belfast.
"It is a one-person show, performed by myself. I have been working as an actor for the last 15 years on different productions but this play is the one I am most proud of.
"The show is called Ireland's Call and a lot of people will think of the rugby anthem. It is a play on that song for a reason. The song itself though doesn't represent who I am as a person.
"I can't wait for next week. Nothing gives me a buzz like theatre. I am doing six nights in a row in the Roddy's and I am just buzzing for it. After the show, there will be a bit of a discussion for people to ask questions and stuff like that and I am really looking forward to that."
'Ireland's Call' by John Connors will perform in the Roddy's from Monday, November 10 to Saturday, November 15.
Tickets are priced at £15 and are available to buy in person at the Roddy's or online at Glisrr here.
