Derek Mooney goes wild for Beaumont play

BROADCASTER Derek Mooney visited a Northside school last week to see the school’s unique play featuring the presenter as the main character.

The production at St Fiachra’s National School, Beaumont, performed by sixth class pupils, featured a special version of ‘The Derek Mooney Show’, focused on a second version of ‘The Gathering’ celebrations.

As well as featuring Mooney and his former co-presenter Brenda Donoghue, the play also sees characters such as President Michael D Higgins and Donald Trump make appearances as an Irish-American relative struggles to get himself an Irish passport.

The play, written by school principal Kieran Creaner, was originally produced as part of the school’s annual ‘Ceolchoirm’, a festival of music, drama and dance that takes place during Seachtain na Gaéilge. Soon after the original performance, it was the idea of one school parent, Carmel Doyle, to extend an invitation to Mooney who accepted weeks later after returning from the United States.

“We just didn’t expect it (the play) to be so good,” Doyle said. “You come to something like this expecting certain things but the performance that gelled it all together was just fantastic.”

Mooney, who also presents the popular ‘Mooney Goes Wild’ show on RTE Radio 1, was in the front row of the performance where he saw himself come to life on stage by sixth class pupil Ryan Wall-Magee, who spoke about his excitement during the performance.

“It was really exciting. I was really nervous before we started but as it went on, it was really fun and exciting to perform it in front of Derek,” Wall-Magee said. 

Afterwards, Mooney was eager to pile praise on the children’s performances and spoke about the experience. “The kids were absolutely fantastic. The entire cast were brilliant. It’s very flattering to see it, kind of embarrassing but very flattering,” Mooney said. “It’s rather strange to see yourself portrayed on the stage like that. I’ve never had that before.”

Approximately 120 students comprising choir singers, guitar players, Irish dancers as well as performers in the play, took part in this year’s ‘Ceolchoirm’, during which the play debuted. 

Speaking to Northside People, Creaner explained how important the original event is to the school.

“The whole thing is about the celebration of the talent of the kids in the school,” Creaner said.

“It’s an integral part of what we do in the school. It’s not as if it’s extra-curricular, but it’s something that is going on all the time.” 

REPORT: Daniel O’Connor