The Joe Must Go On

Nearly four years on from his passing, there really is no show quite like a Joe show. Now one play is attempting to recapture some of that old Dolan magic in a unique way. The idea for The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down fermented in the mind of playwright Padraic McIntyre, as many good ideas do, after a number of drinks. “I was drunk one St. Stephen’s night watching a tribute to him on TG4,” McIntyre explains. “A eureka moment: ‘Ah, my play’s set on the night Joe Dolan died!’”

The ‘Westmeath Bachelor’ wasn’t part of his initial plans. “I was writing a different play. There were two characters left on stage. I didn’t know what was going to happen and a knock came on the door. When it was answered, Joe Dolan was standing there.”
The scene was set… Late-night birthday celebrations take place in a rural Cavan pub. An easy-listening entertainer’s motor breaks down outside. Having collaborated together before, Padraic immediately cast John O’Grady, a singer himself, in the titular role. Was it daunting playing the part of an Irish icon? “It was huge pressure,” O’Grady admits. “In some ways it was easier because you had a reference point for the material. It was important to us that it wasn’t a direct copy.” McIntyre agrees. “We don’t put a wig on him, it’s not an imitation. It’s a representation of Joe.”
For O’Grady, it offered a taste of the kind of public acclaim Dolan garnered, and an insight into what made him such an accomplished showman. “There’s something about that white suit!” laughs John. “I did get a lot of slaggings from within my own musical circles and it took me a while to get over that. But once I felt the reaction from the audiences, that disappeared. I had people coming up to me telling me how I’d done justice to Joe’s memory.”
According to McIntyre, the late singer’s family have been particularly receptive. “Once I had the idea I rang [Joe’s brother] Ben Dolan. They’ve been very supportive. It must have a huge nostalgic quality for them and be quite touching at times.”
Both men have gained a newfound respect for the Mullingar star. “I genuinely did become a Joe Dolan fan,” says O’Grady. “If you watch the concerts, regardless of what you think of him, you have to admire the man. The sweat is hopping off him, it’s an All-Ireland Final every time he walks onto that stage.”
Having initially run for five nights at the Ramor Theatre in Virginia, The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down embarked on a number of regional tours around Ireland. Now it comes to Dublin. “It’s exciting,” says McIntyre. “I’m looking forward to seeing if it translates. I feel it does.” Set in the Glenaduff Inn, the dialogue and mannerisms are strongly rooted in the Border region. “I’m very much from Cavan and that’s what my accent says. I used to hate it as a teenager, I thought we were the biggest boggers in the world but I think there’s a certain poetry to it now. There’s a lot of sayings that I’d hear in my local pub that have snuck their way in. It’s a celebration of the way we twist the language.”
McIntyre is also fiercely protective of the theatre scene in his hometown. “The standard is strong all over the country. It’s important to be proud of where you live. I’ve always said the taxpayer down in Cavan is as entitled to professional theatre as a taxpayer in Dublin. It’s great to create it there, start it there, and then watch it blossom and come to Dublin.”

The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down runs in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin from November 1 to 5.