A panto tradition in Castlebar

By Tom Gillespie

THIS is pantomime time of year, a tradition with a long association with Castlebar.

It is well I remember the pantos of the 1950s when we as young children awaited with bated breath for Billy Newel’s hackney to call to our house at Marian Row to take my mother and my two sisters to the town hall for the December 27th production.

My father, Dick Gillespie, would have left earlier for the town hall as he played trumpet in the orchestra and he had to set up the PA system there.

If memory serves me correct the first panto I attended was in 1955 when I was aged five. On that occasion it was Andy McTigue’s production of Mother Goose.

The first panto was staged in 1951 when Cinderella was presented by Jimmy Garvey, brother of the famed Stephen Garvey. Jimmy was also in charge for the next two years (1953 and ’53) when Robinson Crusoe and Aladdin were staged.

Admission in 1951 was 3/6 (bookable at R.J. Wynne’s), 2/6 and 1/6. Proceeds were ‘in aid of charity and a deserving cause’.

Costumes were hired from McGing’s in Dublin. Lighting was a series of coloured floodlights the size of biscuit tins along the front of the stage. Props were borrowed from kitchens, gardens, bakeries, etcetera. The scenery was created by Jim ‘Tot’ McGowan and Peter Gavin.

With the success of Cinderella there was no difficulty in recruiting for Robinson Crusoe in ‘52. Names like Andy McTigue, Herbie Glynn, Gussie Wynne, Mary Ainsworth, Henry and Donald Downes were associated with the pantomime.

1953 saw the last of the Jimmy Garvey productions - Aladdin.

Andy McTigue took the reins in ’54, directing The Enchanted Danny, followed by Mother Goose in 1955, Ali Baba in 1956, Sinbad The Sailor in 1957 and Goody Two Shoes in 1958.

The ’56 show, staged in January 1957, was co-produced by Fr. Gabriel Charles and the ’57 and ’58 shows by Fr. Tom Shannon. Names like Seamus Chambers, Mary Hanley, Beatrice Conway, Mattie Armstrong, Tom McGreal (who always played the giant), Pearse Carney and Brid McCarthy were all part of the cast.

There is no record of the 1959 production. But in 1960 Joe Twiggs directed Cinderella.

In 1961 Dick Whittington and His Cat was produced by Garry Black.

1962 brought Jack and The Beanstalk to the town hall through the combined efforts of Rev. Cecil Norman and Anton Condon.

John Garavan took over the director's chair in 1963 with King McKeown and The Banshee, written by Herbie Glynn. He was again in charge in 1964 with the production of Babes In The Wood. Included in the cast were Val Donegan, Angela Denning, Christy Tynan, Padraig Flynn, John Kelly (I remember him playing Friar Tuck), Ita Wheelan, Eamonn Wheelan, Beatrice Conway, Denise Conway, Colette and Patricia Earls and the Queen of panto, Nan Monaghan, who was involved with the annual production until 2009.

In 1965 Sinbad and the Vampire took to the stage but the name of the producer is not recorded.

In ’65 Martin Lyons’ production of Aladdin reverted back to December dates.

This, however, was the last of the original shows and panto was not revived again until 1986 with Fr. Des Fahey’s production of Dick Whittington. It continued to pre-Covid, and hopefully will be back on stage again next year.

These are some of the people who have been involved with the Castlebar productions up to 2000: Stephen Burns, Sean Lyons, Kevin McNicholas, Ann Tobin, Frankie Forde-Waldron, Reg Smyth, Dave Murphy, Tony Donegan, Des Byrne, John Joe Goggins, Des Hennelly, John McHugh, Norma Gibbons, Mary Donegan, Monica Masterson, Delia Queenan, Adrian Gavin, David Tuomey, Seamus King, Clair Kenny, Bernie Igoe, Frank Forde, Michael Devanney, Mary Kelly, Pat O'Donnell, Joe O'Grady, Padraig Larkin, George Lally, Geraldine McHale, Marina Rice, Liam Connell, Michael Devanney, Paul Kilcoyne, Frances Lally, Siobhan Everard, Mary Lenihan, Tom Bourke, Louise Donlon, Evelyn Galvin Byrne, Stephen Guthrie, Lar Davis, Mary Donegan, Mary McHale, Colette McGinty, Loretta Morris, Dave Tuomey, Margaret Igoe, Fiona Cashin, Tom Howley, Pat Farrelly, Joan Howley, Vincent Gillespie, Tom McGrath, Tony Hiney, Netta Kennedy, Jason Guthrie and Toni Delaney.

Others included: Brendan Heneghan, Tony Varley, Sean Mulroy, Liam Connell, Loretta O’Malley, Joanne Kyne, Orla Healy, Brian Murphy, Pat Jennings, Michael Rice, Pauline Rice, Aoife Rice, Aishling Rice, Ann Melvin, Mark Conway, Denise Conway, Catherine Denning, Garry Wynne, Karen Conway, Paddy Gannon, Lisa Gannon, Fiona Gannon, Tommy Corley, Justin Guthrie, Caroline Guthrie, Deirdre Guthrie, Rowena Gillespie, Elaine Gannon, Robert Guthrie, Lorraine Cusack, Padraig Diskin, Darina Molloy, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, Ann Timothy, Michelle Monaghan, Richard Heneghan, Charlie Davis, Katrina Roughneen, Katrina Roughneen, Anne Kerrigan, Sharon Lavelle, Donna Ruane, Emer Mullins, P.J. Mullins, Alice Rodgers, Fiona Martin, Sinead Martin, Mary Reilly, Patsy Gaughan, Maureen Vahy, Wendy Cotter, Ann Nally, Sharon Lavelle, Delia O’Grady, Fiona Kilbane, Mick Monaghan, Tom Jennings, Philip Lydon, Brian Lydon, Eugene Flynn, Gerry Duffy, Noel Lester, Aideen Christie, Kevin Heraty, Terry Coleman, Frankie McDonald, Ann Cresham, Orla Reilly, Madeline Gallagher, Carmel Dooley, Pat Tierney, Walter Donoghue, Debbie Lester, Brenda Walsh, James Mannion, Adrian Long, Sean Duffy, Keith Keily, Mark O'Malley, Padraic Duffy, Vincent Durcan, Padraic Murray, Joe O'Grady, Andrew Monaghan, Martin Lydon, Robert Cunningham, Aiden Browne, Marie Brinklow, Brian Mannion, Mary G. Martyn, Della O'Grady, Sharon Blake, Irene Gillespie, Sean Duffy, Nat Ruane, Brian Mannion, Martin Lydon, Philip Lydon, Breege Farragher, Heather Heneghan, Kevin McNeela, Angela Leydon, Geraldine Heverin, Donna Rogan, Sarah Ward, Catherine Diskin, Chris Leonard, Niamh O'Neil, Elsie McTigue, George Moran, Della O'Grady, to name but a few.

Others to feature on and behind the stage were: Des Byrne, Ann Marie Wilmot, Thomas Jennings, Jessica Timlin, Ann Staunton, Robert Tuomey, Deborah McConway, Ruth Loftus, Arlene Murphy, Fergal Joyce, Denise Roddy, John Flatley, Tom Lyons, Sean Burke, Brenda Donoghue, Reineke Smit, Emer Joyce, Mary McIntyre, Orla Quinn, Kathy Healy, Wendy Cotter, John Tolan, Finola Higgins-Cosgrove, Bryan Deacy and Aine McAndrew.