Fishamble: The New Play Company
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  • Home
  • About
    • Board & Governance
    • Community Engagement
    • Meet the Team
    • Research
    • Encore
    • News
  • Productions
    • HEAVEN
    • In Two Minds
    • FIGHT NIGHT
    • The Black Wolfe Tone
    • Pat Kinevane Plays
      • KING
      • Before
      • Silent
      • Forgotten
      • Underneath
    • OUTRAGE
    • BREAKING
    • TAIGH/TŶ/TEACH
      • TAIGH/TŶ/TEACH Programme
    • Mustard
    • "Certain Individual Women"
    • 35 years of Fishamble
  • Artist Supports
    • Cruising the Boards Workshop
    • Transatlantic Commissions Residency
    • Big Ambitions
    • Playwriting Courses
    • New Play Clinic
    • Send Us Your Writing
    • Fishamble New Writing Award
    • Mentoring & Workshops
  • Tiny Plays
    • Tiny Plays for a Brighter Future
    • Tiny Plays for a Brighter Future Challenge
    • Tiny Plays 24/7
    • #TinyPlayChallenge
    • Tiny Plays for Ireland and America
    • Tiny Plays for Ireland 2
    • Tiny Plays for Ireland
  • Support Fishamble
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
    • Corporate Membership
    • Sponsorship
    • Thank you
  • Calendar
  • Education
  • Contact
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3 Great Denmark Street
Dublin 1, Ireland
D01 NV63

[email protected]
+353 1 670 4018
@fishamble



Registered Charity
No. CHY 20103958.
​
​

Fishamble's major new play
​initiative from 2017 – 2019

What is A PLAY FOR IRELAND?

As part of its 30th year in 2018, Fishamble: The New Play Company set out to find one, big, ambitious play, that bursts with humanity and tackles a subject about which the playwright feels passionate - A PLAY FOR IRELAND that captures the zeitgeist of the country, that demands to be produced. Submissions were invited from across Ireland at the start of this two-year process, which encouraged the citizens of Ireland, and non-Irish citizens living on the island of Ireland, to write plays, engaging people aged 18+, from all communities, throughout the country. The initiative has seen Fishamble develop 30 new plays with playwrights throughout the island of Ireland during the first round of this initiative, and later this year will result in the production of one very special new play.

After a lot of debate and discussion among the Fishamble team, and with the partner venues and independent readers, Fishamble have chosen THE ALTERNATIVE by Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney as the Play for Ireland.  

The Alternative by Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney

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What if Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom? What if Home Rule had passed? What if there was no War of Independence? No Civil War? No partition? What if the island had only one soccer team?
​

The year is 2019 and it is the eve of the Referendum. British Prime Minister Ursula Lysaght is returning to her hometown of Dublin to convince voters to Remain. With the threat of chaos in the streets, and personal conflict behind the scenes, the final debate is set to begin at BBC Dublin: Should Ireland leave the UK?

The Alternative
 will premiere in the Dublin Theatre Festival as part of its nationwide tour in association with Draíocht, The Everyman, Lime Tree Theatre & Belltable, Lyric Theatre, Pavilion Theatre, Town Hall Theatre in September and October 2019. ​
Book Tickets
Read full announcement
Irish Times Article

'Reframing Our Borders - What If?' by Oisín Kearney

On 13 June 2019, co-writers of Fishamble's THE ALTERNATIVE Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney wrote a speech to address the topic: 'Reframing Our Borders - What If?' at On The Edge, the Theatre Forum and Theatre NI Conference 2019. In the speech, delivered by Oisín Kearney, the writers discuss being Irish in Cambridge, their new play The Alternative, produced by Fishamble as part of Fishamble's A Play For Irelandprogramme, and issues of identity in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Read Transcript

​A PLAY FOR IRELAND Shortlist Announcement

Out of the 30 plays developed during 2018, 6 have been chosen for the shortlist:

Duck, Duck, Goose by Caitríona Daly
In Passing by John Doran
Wreckquiem by Mike Finn
A Line of Work by Marina Ni Dhubháin
Ballybaile by Jody O’Neill
The Alternative by Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
Read full announcement

A PLAY FOR IRELAND Fishamble Diaries

A PLAY FOR IRELAND 2018 Round Up
A PLAY FOR IRELAND workshop with Niamh Lunny
A PLAY FOR IRELAND Thoughts From Our Playwrights
Gavin Kostick on the A PLAY FOR IRELAND Process so far

Partners

A PLAY FOR IRELAND is run in partnership with six venues across the country: Pavilion, Draíocht, The Everyman, Lime Tree Theatre/Belltable, Town Hall Theatre and Lyric Theatre. Five writers will be chosen to take part in the initiative in each venue, making a total of 30 playwrights, to mark Fishamble’s 30th birthday, in 2018.
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​Process

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Background

Fishamble is Ireland’s only Olivier Award-winning theatre company which, as well as producing internationally renowned productions, supports the writers of 60% of all new plays produced in Ireland each year. It is committed to new plays that have something important to say about the world in which we live. It wants to encourage people all over Ireland to express themselves through theatre, to engage the public in making plays, and to create work for audiences throughout Ireland. 
​
In 2011, Fishamble called out for tiny plays for contemporary Ireland, and received over 1,700 submissions. TINY PLAYS FOR IRELAND subsequently played to sell out runs in Ireland, generated similar initiatives in Australia and Russia, transferred to the Kennedy Center and Irish Arts Center in the US as part of Ireland 100, and was called ‘a brilliant project… really wonderful’ by President Higgins.

Sponsors

A PLAY FOR IRELAND is supported by
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The Transport Partner for A PLAY FOR IRELAND is Irish Rail.
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More information

Read more about the shortlisted playwrights

Read More

Read our press release

Read More
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Fishamble: The New Play Company is supported by

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©2025 Fishamble Theatre Company All Rights Reserved.
Registered Company No. 168484. Registered Charity No. CHY 20103958.
Fishamble Theatre Company is a not for profit organisation and a registered charity with a valid charitable taxation exemption from the Revenue Commissioners.

Privacy Policy ​
  • Home
  • About
    • Board & Governance
    • Community Engagement
    • Meet the Team
    • Research
    • Encore
    • News
  • Productions
    • HEAVEN
    • In Two Minds
    • FIGHT NIGHT
    • The Black Wolfe Tone
    • Pat Kinevane Plays
      • KING
      • Before
      • Silent
      • Forgotten
      • Underneath
    • OUTRAGE
    • BREAKING
    • TAIGH/TŶ/TEACH
      • TAIGH/TŶ/TEACH Programme
    • Mustard
    • "Certain Individual Women"
    • 35 years of Fishamble
  • Artist Supports
    • Cruising the Boards Workshop
    • Transatlantic Commissions Residency
    • Big Ambitions
    • Playwriting Courses
    • New Play Clinic
    • Send Us Your Writing
    • Fishamble New Writing Award
    • Mentoring & Workshops
  • Tiny Plays
    • Tiny Plays for a Brighter Future
    • Tiny Plays for a Brighter Future Challenge
    • Tiny Plays 24/7
    • #TinyPlayChallenge
    • Tiny Plays for Ireland and America
    • Tiny Plays for Ireland 2
    • Tiny Plays for Ireland
  • Support Fishamble
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
    • Corporate Membership
    • Sponsorship
    • Thank you
  • Calendar
  • Education
  • Contact
  • Shop