THE story of Gerry Conlon’s life after the Guildford Four were freed from prison is returned to the Lyric Theatre this week.

In The Name Of The Son' was written by Conlon’s lifelong friend Richard O’Rawe and playwright Martin Lynch of Greenshoot Productions. (You can read our review of the Grand Opera House production in 2022 here.)

Directed by Tony Devlin, it tells the story of Conlon’s life after release from an English prison, including his time hanging out with A-list celebrities – but behind the façade was alway the pain.

The play focuses on the life of the West Belfast man, whose wrongful imprisonment was famously depicted in the movie In the Name of the Father.

It explores Conlon’s post-release struggles, including his descent into addiction and eventual recovery, as well as his transformation into a world-renowned campaigner against miscarriages of justice.

It has been a remarkable journey for the play which opened at the Lyric Theatre in November 2021 to immediate acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. That first three-week run sold-out, initiating a jump-up in venues when it was performed for a week at the 1,000-seater Grand Opera House in July 2022, again to packed houses.

Next stop was a month-long run in the prestigious Assembly Rooms at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This led to strong interest from some international producers, resulting in the play performing at the Auckland International Arts Festival, New Zealand 2024 and The San Francisco International Arts Festival, 2025.  

The journey started when O’Rawe, a childhood friend of Conlon’s, wrote a biography of his friend charting the amazing life of Gerry Conlon. Leading playwright Martin Lynch said: "As soon as I read the last page of Richard's book, I knew this story was an exceptional one.

"All life was within its pages. I approached Richard and we agreed to write the play together. All in all, not bad for a couple of ex-dockers from the backstreets who left school at 15 and we’re still in our prime!"

Richard O’Rawe added: “Never mind the journey Martin and I have taken, Gerry Conlon’s story is much more remarkable.

"From receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds compensation from the British Government to becoming a crack-cocaine addict on the streets of London, from hob-knobbing with famous singers and actors to lobbying the US Congress, Gerry went through it all.

"Thankfully, he went on to ditch his addictions to become an internationally known human rights campaigner for various miscarriages of justice causes.”

'In the Name of the Son' performs at the Lyric Theatre from August 19-31.

You can book tickets here.