Five Lamps Arts Festival and Co-Motion Media present the new stage work by RODDY DOYLE, first presented at the Five Lamps Arts Festival in April 2023.

The show is an adaptation of a story from the LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN collection by Roddy Doyle published in 2021. It has been adapted by Joe O’Byrne, and he directs the production, which stars Eoin O’Sullivan. The action of the story takes place just after the beginning of the Covid lockdown, and is about a man who makes the irrational decision to come to Dublin to look for his son, who he has not seen in four years. His search takes him on an odyssey through inner city Dublin, and small acts of kindness light up his search as he hopes against hope to find his son in the deserted city. The story is a gentle hymn to the inner city, and as in all of Roddy Doyle’s writing about Dublin, his stories explore the humour and emotions of people on the edge, but despite this The Five Lamps becomes a truly life-affirming story.

Roddy Doyle is one of Dublin’s most famous and popular writers, and has published many important novels such as The Commitments, The Snapper, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors. Many of his books have been filmed, or adapted for the stage. Her recently also wrote Kellie along with Kellie Harrington. The animated film of his children’s book Greyhound Of A Girl recently premiered at the Berlinale film festival.

Joe O’Byrne is a director and writer, and has directed many stage shows including Frank Pig Says Hello by Pat McCabe, and The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle. His own plays have included En Suite at the Abbey. In film he has directed Pete’s Meteor, and for radio he has written Yardstick. Most recently he directed the filmed version of the Cordelia Dream  by Marina Carr.

Eoin O’Sullivan’s  theatre credits include the one-man show Twenty Minutes from Nowhere which debuted at Bewley’s Cafe Theatre; One Para at The New Theatre; Barney Carey Gets his Wings with Barnstorm Theatre; Dolly at Edinburgh Fringe with Lipzinc, and Orson Welles Christmas Carol with AboutFACE Theatre. Screen credits include the multi award-winning Pernicio (short film), Hillwalkers (feature) & Fair City (tv).