Who would have thought that a Tyrone man would one day end up writing a play in honour of Armagh’s All Ireland win?
And yet, that’s exactly what Dunamanagh man Niall Conway has done with his comedy play, ‘The Lucky Shirt’- which is already booked to perform in two popular County Armagh clubs.
Although, it is perhaps important to point out that The Lucky Shirt had started life not to celebrate Armagh’s win… but to celebrate Tyrone’s.
Clarifying the concept, Niall – who has written plays for between 15 and 20 years – explained: “I’m from a very small club in North Tyrone, Clann Na nGael. We had two brilliant players – supersonic stars – Stephen O’Neill and Brian Dooher and the play was initially written in tribute to them.
“When Tyrone won the All-Ireland in 2005, Stevie was Player of the Year and Brian lifted Sam for the first time. That was the inspiration but it just didn’t get to the stage for logistical reasons.”
While the performance had eluded him, the script had left its mark. Niall continued to receive high praise from anyone who had read it.
So, when Armagh clinched the title at Croke Park against Galway in 2024, Niall knew he had an opportunity to revise the script and finally bring it to life on stage.
The playwright reached out to several GAA clubs and amateur dramatics groups but couldn’t quite get anything concrete pinned down in terms of cast or venue – but the interest was there, that he knew.
An Armagh-based cousin, Brian Devine eventually intervened and suggested sending the script to renowned Lurgan amateur actor, writer and producer Raymond Murray.
“Raymie was very interested,” said Niall. “He said it was great and really novel so I sent him the full script and he said he would have a cast in a couple of days. And he was good to his word.”
Keen to capture the “brilliant” feeling and nostalgia of Armagh’s win, Niall wrote the comedy around three very different Armagh supporters as they attend all the championships games of last year.
The story follows South Armagh neighbours, Dessie and Francie. Dessie is a teacher and Francie, a semi-retired farmer and a fanatical Armagh and Kieran McGeeney fan. He can be a bit “old-fashioned”, not to mention cantankerous and highly sarcastic!
The pair are joined by “wheeler dealer” and Dessie’s pal, JP from Lurgan. JP is “cut from very different cloth” from Francie, says Niall. He’s a more ‘casual’ fan who “rocks up in his Hawaiian shirt” – which would later become The Lucky Shirt.
As the year goes on, they go on to discuss and joke about current affairs, politics and of course all things sporting – something Niall believes makes the play incredibly versatile.
In another nod to Armagh, Niall also introduced a fourth character in the one and only Clare McConville, from Armagh TV, who reports on the games – “in her own unique style”.
Of his hopes for the play, Niall said: “I guess like any writer you just want your stuff to go on stage and this is niche and novel; it’s light-hearted and has good humour in it.
“You could take the whole family to it and everyone should enjoy it. It’s a nice wee nostalgic piece and good craic.”
The play is set to take to the stage at Ballymacnab Round Towers GAA Hall on Sunday, May 4 and Saturday, May 10 and will then appear at Clann Na Gael, Lurgan on May 17.
Tickets are available from the clubs directly.
Niall would also be keen to involve some of the clubs in the South Armagh area. Anyone interested should contact Armagh I for more information.
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