Echoes from a Room

Summer Production 2026

6th - 11th July

THAT'S A WRAP!

A huge congratulations to our fabulous cast, crew, and to our fantastic director, Síomha Glynn, on an absolutely brilliant run of Echoes from a Room and a remarkable debut in the director’s chair! This show has a very special place in our hearts - especially as we celebrate the man who gave us this story and 10 years since its first staging with An Nuadha Players.

This play is based on Terry's experience of working as a Junior Manager in a gas lighter company in Dublin City Centre during the mid sixties. It is set during the Christmas/New Years period and tells the story of the group of women who worked under Terry in this factory. The women, from inner city Dublin, each had their own story to tell. The characters in this story are based on real people or an amalgamation of different women that Terry came across during his time working there. From within the four walls of the factory room comes the echoes of their conversations, their laughter, their arguments, their stories.

Síomha has fond memories of Echoes from a Room, having played Theresa Carty and acted as Assistant Director in 2016.

The play was a labour of love for Terry, a tribute to a group of women who faced the odds and found their own strength and humour along the way. We are honoured to bring Terry’s work back to the stage a decade later. He was a gifted storyteller whose passion for community theatre shaped our group and inspired countless young people to find their voice.

To our incredible committee: thank you for the enormous amount of work that goes into bringing a show like this to life. It really does take a village, and we are so lucky to have such a dedicated, passionate group running - and constantly lifting - our community.

A special thank you to Maynooth Community College for providing our venue, to the local businesses and individuals who generously donated raffle prizes, to everyone who gave their time behind the scenes, and to our wonderful Front of House and Stage Crew teams who kept everything running so smoothly. And of course, thank you to Mai for capturing these beautiful photos.

We are also deeply grateful to John FitzGibbon‑Moore for providing the perfect soundtrack that carried us straight back to the 1960s.

Most importantly, thank you to our fantastic audiences. Your support, your reviews, and your presence mean the world to us. We couldn’t do these shows without you 💖

We would love to hear about your experience, so please leave us a review here.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating this story, this community, and the man who helped build it. Terry’s spirit is woven through every rehearsal, every performance, and every laugh shared backstage. Though he is greatly missed, his legacy lives on and remains at the centre of who we are 🥰🎭🕰

The Cast of Echoes from a Room

Kelly Gamble

Bernie O'Connor

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Kelly trained in dance, stage, and screen performance at the Backstage Academy of Performing Arts and the Gaiety School of Acting. She went on to teach dance for over a decade and has acted in a range of stage productions, including Dancing at Lughnasa, Translations, Blithe Spirit, and The Lady in the Van, as well as screen projects such as Sheering Malice, Heartsick, and Operation Us. She joined An Nuadha in 2023 and is a full-time working mother of two with a passion for activism and fitness.
Patricia O'Malley

Maura Munch

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Tricia joined An Nuadha Players in 2010 for the Christmas Panto, Aladdin. Since then she’s starred in many pantos and plays with An Nuadha Players and Down at Heel Productions. Her credits include Sinbad, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Robin Hood, Twisted! A Wicked Fairytale, Snow White, The Case of the Count formerly known as Dracula, Same Old Moon, Echoes From A Room, A Tale of the Expected, the podcast of Fractured: A Family A Nation A Dream, recorded during Covid, Steel Magnolias, A Christmas Carol, and, most recently, The Prisoner of Second Avenue. A committee member and treasurer of past, she is looking forward to her role as Maura in Echoes from a Room.
Rebecca Wright

Elisabeth Belton

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Rebecca’s first production with An Nuadha Players was Sinbad in 2011. Since then, she has taken part in numerous pantomimes with the group, and every year she has an absolute blast performing alongside her fellow cast members. Growing up, Rebecca trained in a wide range of dance styles, including ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, tap, and Irish dancing. Irish dancing was the style she continued with, training for 12–13 years and competing at the World Championships on several occasions. Rebecca hadn’t really considered taking on an acting, principal, or singing role until Jack and the Beanstalk in 2018, where she stepped into her first principal role. Since then, she has auditioned for principal roles most years. She says that she never felt confident enough to audition before, but that the supportive environment at An Nuadha Players helped her build that confidence. This year marks her first ever play with An Nuadha Players. Having spent many years in pantomime, this shift to a more acting focused production has been an exciting challenge. She has especially enjoyed exploring a more serious side through her role as Liz in Echoes, which she says has been her favourite role to date. Rebecca is really looking forward to the show and can’t wait for you all to see it!
Alisha Shiels

Joan Smith

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Alisha started with An Nuadha Players in the 2023 panto, Sinbad, as the slimy sidekick. She had the privilege of having an ensemble role in The Lady in the Van, where she was inspired by the other incredible actors in the group. Alisha is delighted to be back rehearsing after the fun of The Sword in The Stone, where she played Arthur! She is so excited to bring such a beautiful and heartfelt show to the stage with her amazing cast mates!
Laura Brady-Keevans

Mary Matthews

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Laura’s first appearance with An Nuadha Players was at the Fringe Festival with Blue Wine in 2016. Over the years she has starred in numerous productions with Backstage, Celbridge Youth Drama, Insight Theatre, Lucan Drama, Salmon Eile, Wholly Idle, and Donabate Portrane Dramatic Society. Her credits include The Plough and the Stars, Pygmalion, On the Outside, Holy Mary, The Risen People, Stags and Hens, and The Crucible. Her last appearance with An Nuadha Players was in Steel Magnolias where she played the role of Shelby. Laura is thrilled to be back rehearsing with such a wonderful cast and crew after taking a brief break from the stage after having her second child.
Ann Kelly

Floss Byrne

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Ann is one of the founding members of An Nuadha Players, helping to launch the group in 1999. Since then, as well as serving on the committee at various times, she has been involved in most of the shows An Nuadha Players have performed; she has either been in them, directed them (sometimes both at the same time), built sets, been part of the stage crew or helped on front of house. Ann was also a member of Thurles Drama Group for many years, she performed with the Irish Theatre Workshop in Munich, and has been involved in several productions with our neighbouring theatre group, Insight Theatre Celbridge. Ann is delighted to be involved with such a talented and dedicated cast and crew in this production of Echoes from a Room!
Marianne Bradley

Phyllis Malone

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Marianne is delighted to be making her debut with An Nuadha Players in this production. She has previously performed with Lucan Drama with roles including Valerie in The Weir and Yvonne in War. In 2023, she competed on the All-Ireland One-Act Circuit with MIM, reaching the All-Ireland Finals where she was awarded the DLI Summer School Scholarship. Marianne was particularly drawn to Echoes from a Room because of its strong female roles and is excited to bring the character of Phyllis to life. She is thrilled to be working with An Nuadha Players for the first time and considers it a privilege to work alongside such a talented cast and crew.
Patricia Hanlon

Connie McNamara

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Patricia joined An Nuadha Players in 2019 and has since appeared in a variety of productions, including our special anniversary production of Twisted! A Wicked Fairytale, and pantomimes Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White. She took on her first serious role in The Lady in the Van and is excited to now be part of the cast of Echoes from a Room. Patricia trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and attended The Lir Academy, where she performed in the ensemble production The Wonderful World of Dissocia and continues to embrace new and exciting challenges on stage.
John McCormack

Jimmy Buckley

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John is a relative newcomer to acting but has already built an impressive range of screen and stage experience. He has appeared in two feature films, including the lead role in the upcoming The Disappearance of Emily Ray, alongside John Connors (Love/Hate). Also a member of both the Stagescreen and Dice Players acting groups, John has performed in productions at the Teachers' Club, the Sean O'Casey Theatre, and Palmerstown Community Hall. Outside of acting, John works as a software developer, studied psychology and is training as a psychotherapist. He keeps fit through kickboxing and is a singer and guitarist in a rock band.
Finbarr Coghlan

Hans Jürgen

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Finbarr was inducted into An Nuadha Players in 2007, with his “Daughters #1, 2 and 3”, starting with the “Robin Hood” pantomime. He has been involved in pantos, both onstage and backstage, including “Twisted! A Wicked Fairytale”, “A Christmas Carol” and “The Sword in the Stone”. He was also in “The Shaughran”, “The Hostage”, “Conquered Not Were We” and “The Lady in the Van”, among others. Finbarr’s credits with Insight Theatre, Celbridge include: “Shadow of a Gunman”, “Alone It Stands”, “Our Town”, “Tarry Flynn” and “Dublin by Lamplight”. With Lucan Drama, he was in “Winners”, “The Cat and the Moon” and “Don’t Dress for Dinner”. Finbarr is delighted to be involved with this play written by the great Terry Nealon, and with this talented cast and production team!
Aidan O'Donohoe

Tony Nolan Jnr.

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Aidan, whilst new to An Nuadha Players, isn't new to drama as a whole. Beginning her journey 3 years ago in a youth drama group she performed in a number of different plays, some of which were even put on in the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Now in university she's a member of the Maynooth University Drama Society. In which she has acted as a variety of quirky characters over the past year. As the university year comes to an end, she's excited to put on such an amazing and thrilling show with all the wonderful people she's met in An Nuadha Players!
John Bean

Tony Nolan Snr.

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John has featured regularly in An Nuadha Players’ Pantomimes since 2002, when he played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood. Other pantomime roles include Dandini in Cinderella and Abanazar in Aladdin. He very much enjoyed the role of Charles Dickens in the 2024 production of A Christmas Carol. He played Joxer Daly in Juno and the Paycock and the title role in The Shaughran, also with An Nuadha Players. He played the role of Joseph Barry in Down at Heel Productions’ War of Independence soap drama podcast, ‘Fractured’. Most recently, he played the 'older' Alan in The Lady in the Van. He is also a member of North Kildare-based chamber choir Canadh le Chéile. He is delighted to be involved in this revival of ‘Echoes from a Room’, which has a special palace in the hearts of An Nuadha Players.
Calina Cunningham

Theresa Carty

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Calina has been a member of An Nuadha Players since 2013, when she took on the title role in the Christmas Pantomime, Cinderella. The friendships she has made through this group are very precious to Calina. She also feels very lucky to have performed with all 5 of her children in pantos over the years. Calina has also performed in musicals with Clane Musical and Dramatic Society (CMDS), where she was lucky to play Carrie in Carousel - one of her favourite ever roles - and Susan in Calamity Jane. As a child Calina performed in the kids chorus in the panto in Dundalk and as a teen in Carrickmacross she played Maid Marion in Robin Hood. She was classically trained in singing growing up with Geraldine Mc Gee; Geraldine really inspired Calina to go on to study music in college. Calina also completed all of her Speech and Drama exams under Margaret Casey's tuition and was accepted into Betty Ann Norton's school of acting where she completed a year of performance studies. She feels very lucky to have learned from these three fabulous ladies. Calina has had some really fun roles with An Nuadha Players and she is delighted to be in Echoes from a Room as Theresa. Despite all the shows she has been in through the years, this is her first time being in a play and she is looking forward to the challenge of portraying a complex character like Theresa. Calina hopes you enjoy the show.
 
 

Síomha Glynn

Director

Síomha has been a member of An Nuadha Players since 2001, when she joined the children’s chorus for our very first Christmas Pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. Since then, Síomha has been involved in most of the pantomimes An Nuadha Players have staged, taking part in the chorus, as a core dancer, in principal roles, as well as helping out with stage crew and front of house. She also joined us for our plays Same Old Moon, Echoes from a Room (where she played the part of Theresa), Dirt Tracks, and our special production of Twisted! A Wicked Fairytale in 2019. Síomha loves to sing and dance. She trained in Estill Method singing for 7 years and has played the violin since the age of 6. Although she has directed some very short pieces prior to this, Echoes is her first full length play that she has directed and she is excited to take on the role and work with such a fantastic cast.

Terry Nealon

Scriptwriter

Terry Nealon was born in Drimnagh, Dublin in 1946. He was involved in music and drama for most of his life. His love of drama was kindled by Finbarr Howard in The Bosco Boys Club in Drimnagh and he was a member of a variety of drama groups over the years, including membership of An Nuadha Players in Maynooth and Insight Theatre in Celbridge. Terry also played with several music groups including 'Renaissance - Music for sophisticates' (Ireland's most talented undiscovered boy band - Terry's own description!) and The Christy Driscoll Trio. He regularly played in the Embankment in Tallaght in its heyday.

'Echoes from a Room' was Terry's first full length play and reflects his experience as a supervisor in a city centre workplace in the mid-sixties - the scars of which he still bore at the time he wrote this play by his own account! The play was a labour of love and is a testament to a group of women who were very much the product of their time and place but who found their own way of overcoming the odds.

Show location: Maynooth Community College

Enter through the main doors to the school

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