Tullamore company brings storytelling to Midland stages

By Rebekah O'Reilly

A Tullamore-based independent production company, Fomóire Productions, founded by Tullamore native Daniel Murray and Tipperary writer Patrick Fogarty, is bringing original Irish theatre and film to audiences across the Midlands and throughout the country.

The company describes its mission as developing and producing new Irish work outside of Ireland’s main cultural centres, while building a sustainable base for original stage and screen production in the region.

Daniel said the idea for Fomóire came from a desire to create a platform for their own work and to bring new writing into performance.

“We are a Midlands-based production company bringing new original Irish film and theatre to the Midlands and to the rest of the country,” Daniel said.

Patrick Fogarty and Daniel met while studying theatre and performance in Galway, where they bonded over a shared interest in writing, acting, and live performance. After college, they continued collaborating on theatre projects before formally establishing Fomóire Productions as a vehicle for their creative work.

“We started a little company… something that we can control and we’ll produce our work through that,” Daniel said.

One of the company’s early successes was The Incarnation of the Prodigal Son, written by Patrick and directed by Daniel, which was staged locally and well received.

Fomóire later expanded into film production with the self-funded short film Dairy Babes, completed in late 2024, marking the company’s first official screen project.

Their most recent major production, The Burned Man, written by Patrick, toured extensively across Ireland during the spring 2026 drama festival circuit, earning multiple awards including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and overall play in the Confined section at the Holycross Drama Festival in Tipperary.

The production was staged across six venues in an eight-week run, including The Source Arts Centre, CMWS Hall in Kildare Town (67th Kildare Drama Festival), Mountmellick Drama Festival, The Mick Lally Theatre, Dunamaise Arts Centre, and the Holycross Drama Festival in Tipperary.

Daniel said the tour gave the company significant momentum and audience feedback across the country.

“We did six venues in the space of eight weeks between the middle of February and the end of March,” Daniel said.

He added that audience reaction has been “surprisingly positive,” particularly among younger demographics.

Patrick’s writing, Daniel said, blends sharp humour with emotional depth and contemporary Irish dialogue.

“He’s very on the pulse,” Daniel said. “He can develop very witty dialogue… it has a sense of Irishness about it, but it’s not inherently Irish.”

Looking ahead, Fomóire Productions is preparing for a homecoming performance of The Burned Man at Esker Arts Centre on June 19 and 20, an event Daniel described as especially meaningful for the company’s roots in the town.

This three-hander consists of Daniel Murray as title character, a man as full of contradictions as he is of rage. Sean Doyle as Conroy, a motormouth slacker who is as endearing as he is annoying. And Claire Lemass as Morrigan, the smart observer who eventually becomes the beating heart of the story. Tickets can be booked on the Esker Arts website.

The production also involved a wider creative team, including Charlotte Molloy (stage manager, Ferbane), Lind McGill (hair and make-up artist, Laois), Mark Quinlan (set designer, Tullamore), Pádraic Seery (set builder, Tullamore), Jim Fogarty and Daniel Murray Snr. (set builders, Dunkerrin and Tullamore respectively), and Lorraine Murray (poster design, Tullamore).

Daniel said the company’s long-term aim is to continue producing original Irish work for both stage and screen, with a focus on regional storytelling and expanding access to live theatre.

“We just want to keep creating good works of art,” he said. “We want to be telling stories that cut to the bone… that make it worth people’s while going into a theatre.”

He added that there is a growing appetite for live performance outside Ireland’s major cities, particularly for new, contemporary writing rooted in local experience.