Kingscourt actor makes Cavan debut

A young Kingscourt actor will make his Cavan debut this week when he appear's in Frank McGuinness' There Came a Gypsy Riding' in the Ramor Theatre, Virginia, which runs from Thursday, September 10 until Saturday, September 19. Diarmaid Murtagh is looking forward to appearing with Cavan company Livin Dred and working with director Padraic McIntyre. "It has always been an ambition for me to work with them. They are a great company to work with, well organised and make really good choices in the shows that they put on." "I'm looking forward to my debut in the Ramor Theatre this week. I'm excited to be going home as everything else I have done is in Dublin, Galway, Belfast or Cork so now to be heading home with Livin' Dred is a dream come true. It was always an ambition of mine to work with Livin' Dred." There is a wonderful cast including Liam Carney, Deidre Donnelly, Louise Lewis and Brid Ni Neachtain. All of them have a wealth of experience working both on television and on stage. "Padraic is so enthusiastic, he brings out the best in actors. Livin' Dred are my own home town company and I'm looking forward to working with them." Diarmaid was working in Belfast 'In the Shadow of the Glen' when he became aware that he landed the part in There Came a Gypsy Riding. He had audition for it before he went to Belfast but he didn't think the part would come my his so he was thrilled when it did. 'There Came a Gypsy Riding' is set around the McKenna family who arrive at their remote west of Ireland holiday home to celebrate what should be the 21st birthday of their late son, Gene. They have come to celebrate, grieve and ask themselves why, two years previously, Gene took his life; while Cousin Bridget, an eccentric spinster and loner, will reveal a dark family secret from beyond the grave, which will leave the family's lives changed forever. The stage is set for revelations and through this play McGuinness offers us a fascinating portrait of the damaged Irish psyche. The Kingscourt native claims that there is no acting in his family although his two brother's (Cian and Darragh) were involved in drama when they attended St. Pat's College in Cavan town. They had great success in shows and Darragh played Fegan in Oliver Twist back in the late 80s. Diarmaid went to school in Inver College in Carrickmacross but it was not until he went to DCU that he really got involved with the drama society. "It was a great way to meet people and move around the country. I fell in love with drama after that. I worked in Chicago for a few years before I came back and started attending the Gaiety School of Acting on a part-time basis and that led on to full-time training, which I finished in June 2007." Diarmaid has appeared in 'Seacht' on TG4 for a season but left that to work on An Ideal Husband in the Abbey Theatre. "It was an opportunity I want to take." He has also appeared in 'The Clinic' on RTE, 'Inspector George Gently' on BBC 1, 'Ros na Run' on TG4, but he has not landed a leading part just yet. "I'm delighted to be working in theatre." Following his appearance in the Ramor Theatre, Diarmaid will be working again with Livin Dred on another Frank McGuinness play 'Observe the Sons of Ulster', which is directed by Padraic McIntyre. "This is a particularly exciting one as it is set in 1914 in the trenches of the First world War in France." At the end of September he is taking a week off and will be heading to the US. His agent here is going to set up a number meetings over there and see if anything come from it. Diarmaid and a friend hope to travel to LA next year and stay for about a year.