Marrying Mike making its way across the Atlantic

Síofra Grant

Jimmy Keary, the Rathowen playwright who has been penning comedic works for more than 30 years, has an exciting March lined up.

His play, Marrying Mike, is making its way across the Atlantic next week as the Benevolent Irish Society prepare to stage it on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

“It’s about an ageing bachelor farmer and he decides it’s time he found a wife,” said Jimmy.

“His so-called best friend tries to fix him up with his sister in the hopes of getting their hands on the land – basically that’s the plot.

“The group in Canada has Irish connections and people do a play over here and they tell their friends about it and that it might suit their group.”

While Jimmy is looking forwards to his North American Debut, a lot of his plays are staged here at home. “I have a play in the Corn Mill Theatre in Carrigallen this month called One Wife Too Many, and it’s my latest play.

“It’s one I wrote last year. Well, it’s finished and it had its première in Sligo after Christmas, but I didn’t get to see it.”

Jimmy was planning to see the preview last week (March 12) and is planning to “go another night when there’s an audience there”.

One Wife Too Many is Jimmy’s 27th play. “He’s in his 40s, living with his girlfriend and he’s thinking of popping the question.

“But then this other woman turns up claiming he slept with her in Salt Hill a few weeks previous when he was on a lad’s weekend.

“And because he was drunk, he doesn’t remember, and she was drunk and she doesn’t quite remember, but she’s pretty sure it’s him because the fella told her his name.

“Your man has to try to get rid of her before his fiancée comes back from a hen weekend abroad, so he tries to pretend he’s already married and then has to get someone to play his wife.

“He asks his best friend, who’s done a drag act, to help him but the friend won’t, so then he asks the neighbour, who’s a widow, and she agrees to play the wife. But then the friend has second thoughts and he suddenly arrives, and then he has two wives.”

Jimmy’s not taking a break, he’s working on his 28th play and hoping to have it finished by the autumn in time for groups to pick it up.

“It’s provisionally titled The Miracle Man and it’s about a single woman who’s disillusioned with the men available at home. She goes to Lourdes to pray that she’ll be lucky in love but her prayers work too well.

“So I’m halfway through it. It’s kind of gradual – I’m not in any hurry with it as long as I have it finished before autumn.”