Stage set for Mayo play to Pull crowds

MAYO football's penchant for the theatrical has never been in doubt. All-Ireland final tragedies may have been their recent stock-in-trade, but they hope to change all that on Sunday. And beyond? Comedy is your only man.

Mayo men Liam Horan (award-winning journalist and broadcaster) and John Corless (well known writer and poet) have come together for an innovative fundraising venture, and the net result of their creative alliance is The Pull.

The first play by Half Solid Productions is now being toured by the two men -- who double as the actors -- at GAA club venues all over Ireland.

Liam said The Pull is a fundraising opportunity for clubs. "All they have to do is put the venue at our disposal, sell the tickets and run a raffle on the night, if they wish. We do the rest," he said.

Suitable for all ages, The Pull is a lively comedy based on a fictional GAA club, Ballybore, which runs up a debt that is "not nearly as big as they think. Basically, they are only €1,000 in debt, but it feels like €1m to the main people involved in the club," Liam explains.

"They set about trying to solve the problem and decide to pull a dump truck around their home town to raise money and get themselves in the Guinness Book of Records. Chaos ensues and they end up getting in way over their heads."

Clubs who wish to stage The Pull can contact Liam Horan on 094 9542965 or 087 9185867, while further information on upcoming dates is available on www.halfsolid.com