Decadent Theatre present early play by Love/Hate writer

The success of RTÉ’s series Love/Hate means its author Stuart Carolan is now one of Ireland’s hottest television talents. But long before he gained fame for this gritty TV drama, Carolan cut his teeth in theatre with Defender of the Faith.

That award-winning thriller created a stir when it received its Irish premiere on the Peacock stage of the Abbey Theatre in 2004.

Set in Armagh in 1986, five years after the IRA hunger strikes and at a tense time during Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’, it’s based on a Republican family involved in paramilitary activity, who are under constant surveillance by British forces.

When this Republican group’s activity is compromised by a suspected ‘tout’ or informer, an IRA representative arrives to weed the offender out.

Everybody is a suspect, including the farmer, Joe, his son, Thomas, and their long-serving labourer, Barney. Paranoia grips the men as this isolated spot becomes the setting for an electrifying exploration of loyalty, betrayal and family ties.

Defender of the Faith hasn’t been professionally staged in Ireland since its debut. Even then, it never travelled outside Dublin. But now it’s getting a new outing from Galway’s Decadent Theatre Company. This touring production is directed by Decadent’s Artistic Director Andrew Flynn, whose previous work for the company including A Skull in Connemara, Faith Healer and Port Authority, has won accolades, awards and a growing audience base. Decadent’s latest work will open in Galway this weekend.

“It’s a brilliant play and there was a huge build-up to the first production,” says Andrew of Defender of the Faith. “But Stuart felt there were problems with that and wasn’t altogether happy with it.

The fine cast includes Lalor Roddy, Diarmuid de Faoite, Peter Gowen and Anthony Brophy – all of them familiar to Galway audiences through theatre and TV work.