Laughter of the nervous kind at Kilcullen drama production

"It's a comedy, and you can laugh," Nessa Dunlea told the audience for the recent Kilcullen Drama Group presentation of The Lieutenant of Inishmore. "But it's a dark comedy. Very dark." She wasn't kidding. The audience on the traditional opening night for seniors did laugh. But sometimes it was a very nervous kind. There were a few gasps too, especially in some of the more gory scenes of this story about a psychopathic INLA killer seeking revenge for the killing of his beloved cat.

Actually there are several psychopaths in this Martin McDonagh play, each so well acted that if people cross Kilcullen main street in coming weeks to avoid meeting actors Alan Clarke, Fergus Ryan, Gerry O'Donoghue, Davy Byrne and even Sinead McKenna, you'll know they've seen the play. Those who encounter Enda O'Neill, better known as manager of Kilcullen Community Centre, may well enquire about how his foot is recovering from his first time actor experience on Kilcullen's stage. As for Maurice O'Mahoney and Adam Tracey, bottles of poteen might be offered to help them deal with their PTSD. And the cats? Nessa Dunlea was at pains to point out that none were harmed in producing the play, but several played key, if unfortunate, parts.

As Nessa had warned, The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a darkly humorous take on what was a very black time in the fairly recent history of Ireland, the kind of thing that McDonagh does so well. The audiences over six nights — the play was performed an extra three nights at the beginning of this week due to demand — went home having been entertained but probably also reminded of how we're only a veneer from barbarity.

Another excellent Kilcullen Drama Group presentation, directed with her trademark attention to detail by Eilis Phillips. And some brilliantly synchronised scene changing by the backstage crew should be shouted out.