Killygordon man Niall Gallen is stepping back in time for a new play set in 1980s Donegal.
Niall, a poet and playwright, has released ‘Meenuisceban‘ on Amazon and is soon to be in local stores.
The play tells the story of Sean Grant, a young and sensitive Donegal farmer who is in love with nature. However, his way of life is challenged when his materialistic brother Patrick returns from America, accompanied by his new fiancée, Paige Kennedy. The play explores the conflict between family tradition and the heart, as Sean’s simple life is turned upside down.
The play is set in the 1980s, and Niall wanted to capture a time when it was acceptable to speak one’s mind without offending anyone.
Niall Gallen
He said: “The Donegal people are among the most witty in Ireland, mix this with their suspicion of everybody and everything and you have a playscript. The exchange of banter in those days was priceless. You had to give as good as you got to survive.
“I wanted to try and capture this in my writing and capture a time in history that people made their own entertainment out of simple everyday events.”
The play takes its name from Meenuisceban, the present-day Meenagoland (where Niall lives), which means valley of the white water.
Meenuisceban is published through Luain Press, and Niall has expressed his gratitude for the help and support he received from the publisher.