The S.P.A. Weekend

This weekend, Documentary & Drama on Newstalk airs the premiere of Third Time Lucky, a topical comedy-drama in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher explores the tensions that arise when allotment holders discover that there is pyrite in their community centre. Third Time Lucky is told partly from the perspective of Councillor Benny Kelly, a slippery local representative who has crossed swords with the residents in the past but who this time sees an opportunity to win favour. With long-standing grievances between members of the allotment committee bubbling below the surface, tempers flare when reactionary Mick Delaney insults an official from the local council – who threatens to close the community centre because of fire and safety irregularities. Meanwhile with government pyrite funding only available for dwelling places, Benny comes under pressure to find some way of obtaining funding for the residents. The stakes are raised when Emma Johnson, a journalist who is also on the committee, writes an inflammatory article for her newspaper regarding dodgy builders – with whom Benny has had under-the-counter dealings. The pressure gets to Benny, who has a heart attack, causing him to re-evaluate his purpose in life. But can the leopard really change his spots? And can he be trusted, or is it too good to be true, when he cooks up a scheme to save the clubhouse from closure? Starring Claudia Carroll, Mark O’Regan, and Sharon Hogan, Third Time Lucky was written and produced by Brian Gallagher.   Third Time Lucky will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 29th September at 7am with repeat broadcast on Saturday 5th October at 9pm. Third Time Lucky can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.ie. Podcast available at: newstalk.ie/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast.

This goes back over a hundred years for a drama set in the midst of the ‘Spanish Flu’. During the 1918 ‘Spanish Flu’ pandemic, a desperate father brings his sick daughter to find the ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny. ‘1918 Ireland: Having just lost his wife from Spanish Flu, a desperate father vows to bring his sick daughter through a politically divided Ireland to find the ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny, a place rumoured to cure the illness.’ Based on the written accounts by the Irish during the Spanish Flu, this story is a fictionalised version of a local Meath legend. In it, a father (Sean Sheridan) brought his sick daughter (Mary Sheridan) in a cart to the ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny, Co Leitrim. The cart got stuck and the horse pulling the cart was shot by a roving gang. Sean had to bring her the rest of the way on foot. This ‘Miracle Well’ in Gubacreeny was apparently blessed by the local priest and anyone that visited it was cured of the ‘Big Flu’.

Drama on Newstalk presents SANDWICH, an original radio comedy-drama that follows a frazzled single mum, Eleanor, who is plunged into turmoil when her eco-activist teen daughter, Hazel, is arrested for holding the Minister of the Environment hostage live on TV. While trying to dissuade the police from charging her, Eleanor learns that her estranged and difficult mother with dementia, Phyllis, has a crisis of her own and can no longer live alone. As Eleanor is an only child, she has no choice but to drag a resistant Hazel across the country to her backwater home town of Craughbeg to look after Phyllis. Eleanor hates being back and has made a promise to Hazel (and herself) that this arrangement is temporary – just enough time to find a suitable nursing home for Phyllis. Craughbeg holds too many painful memories, not least Eleanor’s shameful secret – the identity of Hazel’s biological father. How will the three generations cope with this new living arrangement and will Eleanor manage to keep the secrets of the past buried? Sandwich looks at the multigenerational squeeze, a predicament that an increasing number of people, mostly women, find themselves in – having to care for both children and elderly parents. This is the Sandwich Generation. SANDWICH was written and directed by Anna Merritt & Deborah Wiseman. It was produced and edited by Amy O’Dwyer. The cast are Deborah Wiseman, Evanne Kilgallon, Deirdre Monaghan, Donncha O’Dea and Mary Murray. Funded by Coimisiún na Mean with the Television Licence Fee.

Drama on Newstalk presents a new drama produced by Jonathan Farrelly and Katerina Economides.  Lansdowne ‘73 is a fictionalised version of historical events.  ln January 1973, the English Rugby Team came to play lreland at Lansdowne, nearly a year to the day of Bloody Sunday... even though they were warned there could be a bomb in the stadium. This is a fictionalised version and an alternate history of that fateful game. Two Garda are tasked with defusing the bomb before it goes off… but in order to save the day, they need to learn to tolerate each other first!   Lansdowne ‘73 was produced by Jonathan Farrelly and Katerina Economides. The programme was funded by the Coimisiún na Meán with the television licence fee.  Acting Credits: JP Wright, Olivia Kenna, Gary Kenna, Katerina Economides, Marty AVG, Jonny Farrelly, Mark Manning and Michael Ryan.

Drama on Newstalk presents “The Man Who Talks To Statues”. An original radio drama that tells the story of Darryl, a thirty-year-old Corkonian. Darryl crashes his father’s car, following which he goes on a magic realist road trip to Limerick and Dublin, encountering characters ranging from suspicious locals to deceased celebrities and historical figures. Darryl has a unique capacity for speaking to statues and during the story he interacts with characters such as Richard Harris, Phil Lynott and Molly Malone. Darryl’s road trip includes acts of hedonism, aggression, denial and punch-drunk self-reflection. He is more than a little bit lost and we’re never quite sure what’s real or what’s imagined or, indeed, if it’s salvation or an escape route he’s looking for. Written and performed by Shane Casey (The Young Offenders) and produced by Ruth Hayes (Whispers) The Man Who Talks To Statues is a contemporary story of a young man lost. Reflecting a sense of disconnect and disenfranchisement which is so often present in young men in today’s Irish culture. According to the report by the Men’s Health forum published in 2020 by Dr Paula Devine and Dr Erin Early under the title Men’s Health in Numbers (MHFI pg 16.) ‘The mental health of males in the Republic of Ireland and NI is of increasing concern.’ Though mental health is one of the underlying themes, The Man Who talks to Statues aims to bring us on an entertaining and energetic journey with the main character DARRYL. ‘The Man Who Talks To Statues’ was written and performed by Shane Casey. Produced by Ruth Hayes. Directed by Brian Desmond. Sound Design and Sound Engineer Cormac O Connor. Additional Cast Michael Sands and Ruth Hayes The programme was produced with funding from the Coimisiún na Meán Sound and Vision scheme.