“It’s the Real McCoy” by Tommy Marren

The play is set over two days in the spring of 1964 in the humble abode of Madge Molloy – a woman in her mid-60s – who has lived over 40 years of her life wondering why her husband Tom, whom she was only married to for just four months, disappeared without trace or reason. At the time of Tom’s disappearance Madge was expecting her only child and reared her daughter Maura on her own on a meagre farm with little or no income.

Needless to say Madge has become bitter and cold about men in general and makes no secret of the fact that love is a temporary insanity of the mind! She believes that she was better off without him and that in the case of Tom Molloy there was work to be done in the bed he’d sleep in the wardrobe!

To remind herself of how much she despises her wayward husband she keeps their wedding photograph turned back to front on the wall to remind herself of how lucky she was to see the back of him!

The fact that Maura has fallen in love with local postman Martin Daly concerns Madge greatly and she does all in her power to convince Maura that the love of her life isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer!

However, Madge’s concerns about her daughters future become the least of her worries as the arrival of a new curate to the parish – namely Father Michael McCoy – is about to shed some light on the reasons why Tom disappeared all those years ago and more importantly his wishes to return and face Madge to tell her the circumstances around his hasty exit.

Realising that Tom has agreed to sign over the house and land to Madge she reluctantly agrees to meet with him and all hell is about to break loose when Tom arrives for a showdown with Madge.

To add to the confusion Madge has to contend with Ireland’s two nosiest neighbours as Nora and Cora O’Hora always arrive unannounced at the most inopportune moments and usually in the middle of the mayhem that is unfolding on stage!