What Did You Do For Ireland, Da? By Bronagh Diamond

WHAT DID YOU DO FOR IRELAND, DA ?
by Bronagh Diamond

A POWERFUL, UPLIFTING STORY OF LIFE IN THE NEW LODGE

NOTE: Commissioned by Green Shoot as part of its 2-year Community Theatre Residency in the New Lodge area of North Belfast, the play is based on workshops and discussions with young people and residents groups in the area.

Green Shoot Productions is delighted to announce the production of an exciting new play, What Did You Do For Ireland, Da? by Bronagh Diamond.

The play tells the story of one family from the New Lodge Road and their 17 year-old son, Jamie as he struggles to make sense of his sexuality and the world around him.

Is his grandfather’s republican past something he should be proud of ? Can he understand his grandmother’s behaviour as she suffers from agoraphobia ? Can Jamie conceive of going to the newly-built University Of Ulster – 500 yards from his front door ?</p

When Jamie ‘joins up’ to try and emulate his grandfather’s republican reputation the story takes an unexpected turn, forcing the family to recognise that their enemy isn’t ‘themens’ on the other side of the Peace Wall or the Security Forces, but a new burgeoning enemy within.

What Did You Do For Ireland, Da ? is a powerful, uplifting story, laced with great humour. It has its finger on the pulse of what it’s like to grow up working class in the Belfast of 2025. Can Jamie escape the remnants of past conflicts or can he take his own path, embrace his sexuality and emerge into a brighter future ?