Conor Malone is the manager of The Balor Arts Centre in Ballybofey. Originally from Waterford he came to Donegal to manage The Balor in 2004 and has been there ever since. In his time The Balor has moved to a brand new premises and currently hosts over 120 shows per year – mainly music, theatre and comedy – attracting over 15,000 through its doors.
Photo from Eva Power Photography
Most recently Conor wrote and directed The State Of The Nation – a political satire in which the ghosts of Thomas Davis, Jim Larkin, Michael Collins and Charlie Haughey discuss the Ireland of today giving their opinions on everything from 1916 and the Civil War to modern day hospital waiting lists, homelessness, Brexit and Trump.
The show toured to venues in Dublin, Donegal and Derry to great audience reaction and plans are afoot for another, more extensive, national tour later in the year.
This is Conor’s Donegal…
What is your favourite place in Donegal and why?
The Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey – I’m contractually obliged to say that!
If you could change one thing about Donegal what would it be?
The obvious answer is better weather. Improved public transport would be a huge help as well.
Who is the one person that you look up to and why?
Hard to narrow it down to just one. My father was a huge influence. He died 15 years ago and still, often when I’m unsure about something, I think about what we would have thought about things and use that for guidance.
Outside of that, an old college lecturer of mine Muiris MacChongaile and Kieran Quinn here at The Balor are two people that I admire.
What is the biggest compliment you’ve ever received?
Like a lot of Irish men I’m not too good at taking compliments. I think the best compliment anyone can get is that something they’ve done has made someone else happier so we’ll go with that.
What’s your happiest memory in Donegal?
Hard to pick one. Professionally there’s been some great shows at The Balor down through the years but if I had to pick one it would be Mundy in the old Balor back in 2005. That was the first big name that we took a risk on and paid big money to and it was a full house and proved that we really could make it as a major music venue. Great gig and after party too!
Personally, I don’t think anything beats the birth of your children – although my wedding reception in Harkins in Brockagh with a pig on a spit and my own band playing music into the wee small hours comes a close second.
What has been Donegal’s proudest moment in recent years?.
As a county I don’t think I’ve seen anything bring as much pride as the All Ireland win in 2012.
If you found a magic wand that allowed you to grant one wish, what would it be?
Bit political this one – to have the wealth of the nation magically redistributed more fairly so that the wealthiest 300 people in the country don’t own over one fifth of the money while there’s rising poverty and record homelessness. And that we’d have a government who would prioritise the needs of the people over the interests of big business and finance.
What is your favourite Donegal-made product?
I’m a big fan of Kinnegar beer. And I use Donegal Rapeseed Oil in all my cooking.
Who is Donegal’s greatest ambassador around the world and why
I think Seamus Coleman is a great ambassador – in both his play and the way he carries himself. He seems like someone who, despite his success, has never forgotten his roots. Give it two years and I’m pretty confident my answer will be Jason Quigley. No doubt that he’s going to be a star and remain a gentleman.
Do you enjoy being on the stage yourself?
I really enjoy playing music on stage. I’ve acted on stage a few times but it wouldn’t be that high on my list of priorities. When it comes to drama I much prefer the writing side.
Who is your favourite Donegal sportsperson of all time?
It has to be Packie Bonner. I was 17 watching Italia ’90 and that save still gives me goosebumps when I think back on it. Again, hopefully it’ll be Jason Quigley in two years time.
What is your favourite Donegal restaurant?
The Cove Restaurant in Dunfanaghy.
What is your favourite Donegal saying or expression?
Ah, Dry Your eyes.
What is the biggest challenge facing the people of Donegal today?
I think it would have to be the continued neglect of the county by the government. There’s no rail, no motorways which in turn leads to a lack of inward investment in the county which gives us a situation where Donegal has one of the lowest average income rates in the country and is one of only two counties in Ireland which saw its official population drop in the last census.
Is there anything that really annoys you about Donegal or its people?
Not really. In general I think it’s better to try and understand why people do what they do and try and change the circumstances that lead to their actions rather than just get annoyed at what they do.
Although if people could use their indicators properly on roundabouts that would be nice.
Do you have a favourite local band?
Can’t answer that. The music scene in Donegal is thriving at the moment. There’s literally about 50 bands worthy of a mention and if I name one the other 49 won’t talk to me.
Is there anything about Donegal that you are very proud of?
I think the sense of community and helping each other out is incredible. When you see the amount of fundraising done in Ballybofey alone in the last few years for causes like Oisin Merritt, Mammy I Want To Walk and The Caolan Melaugh Fund – the amount of people who have come out and helped is really quite moving.
What is your favourite thing about running the balor and why?
So many things. I love waking up every day and looking forward to going to work. I love the fact that each and every day is different. I love meeting really talented people – Bell X1, Josh Ritter, Lisa Hannigan, Damien Dempsey etc – and finding out that they’re also really sound.
What I really love is booking a little known band from the US or Canada that haven’t played Ireland before, that I haven’t previously heard of and being absolutely blown away by their brilliance. Happily this happens a lot. There’s some great talent out there that never makes it to the radio stations.
What is your favourite food that you associate with Donegal?
Mussels – the seafood in general is fantastic.
If you had a million euro to improve something in Donegal what would it be?
I think the things that need fixing to really make a difference to peoples lives – infrastructure, public transport etc would take a lot more than a million.
Can I just keep it as long term funding to secure the future of The Balor for the next 20 years?
What is the most rewarding part of running the Balor?
The most rewarding part is seeing people really enjoy a show that you’ve booked. Nothing beats that.
by Rachel White
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