He is one of the most recognisable faces in Irish film and television, but I sense early in the interview with Don Wycherley that he is not overly comfortable discussing past glories, rendering most of my pre-prepared questions obsolete. “I look a bit different from my Father Ted and Ballykissangel and Bachelor’s Walk days,” he says with a laugh, insisting he doesn’t get recognised on the street as much as one might think.
He is being modest, of course. Time has been kind to the Corkman.
The 57-year-old’s career began at The Abbey in the early 90s: a golden age for Irish theatre. “It was bizarre and extraordinary and a wonderful time.”
Wycherley says he could be sitting around during a bit of downtime, sipping coffee, when the likes of Tom Murphy would just stroll along and strike up conversation. “I was very lucky. Maureen Hughes was casting director at the time, and she cast myself, Aisling O’Sullivan, Stephen Kennedy, and Luke Griffin. She took us all on for a year, on contract, as Abbey players.”
His time at the national theatre started just as the legendary Donal McCann was winding down. On McCann and his infamous production of Faith Healer, Wycherley says: “He was God. I went to see that production. He had an amazing, amazing presence.”
From The Abbey, Wycherley went on to do a lot of work for the big screen, landing roles in major Irish films such as Michael Collins (1996 ), The General (1998 ) and Veronica Guerin (2003 ). But his passion for theatre never waned, even though, as we discussed at length, it is a business that just does not pay.
More recently, Wycherley has landed substantial roles in popular movies, such as Brother Baxter in Sing Street (2016 ) and Chris Muldoon in Wild Mountain Thyme (2020 ), sharing scenes with Emily Blunt.
However when the chance came along to play Paddy Armstrong, one of The Guildford Four, in a play, Wycherley could not resist. This story centres on the resilience of Armstrong's spirit and the power of forgiveness. It dwells on healing the scars of savage injustice.
Those of a certain age will remember the Guildford pub bombings in 1974. Four British soldiers and one civilian were killed, with 65 people injured, some horrifically, when bars near an army base were bombed by the Provisional IRA just before an autumn general election.
Eleven people were wrongfully convicted in the aftermath – the so-called Guilford Four and Maguire Seven – and British police forces were granted draconian powers under the 1974 Prevention of Terrorism Act. For my generation, it was Jim Sheridan’s movie In the Name of the Father (1993 ) that introduced us to this sad part of our history; one rife with prejudice, murder and injustice.
Three Irishmen and one English woman were directly convicted of the Guildford bombings. Armstrong spent 15 years in prison.
“The enormity of what happened… It’s just crazy,” says Wycherley, who is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. “He wasn’t a military practitioner. It just so wasn’t him, but nobody was even willing to investigate that.”
The play has proven to be moving, but also provocative. After one particular performance, an audience member challenged Wycherley, claiming Armstrong definitely had something to do with the bombings. “I ended up in an argument with him. I said I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought he was involved.”
Based on the memoir Life After Life, co-written by Armstrong and Mary-Elaine Tynan, Paddy - The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong sold out for four weeks straight at The Viking Theatre in Dublin, very close to where Wycherley and Armstrong both live.
“I met Paddy. He was very funny; charming [and] engaging.”
It was important for Wycherley to get these aspects of Armstrong into the play, rather than it being a mere summary of a book. The two men would meet up frequently for coffee, or go for a walk around Clontarf. “I’m listening to his vocals, his voice, the cadences; what words he used more often. Then I started putting those words into the play.”
The performance won a terrific reception in Dublin, and now this one-man show is aiming to tour all four provinces of Ireland by 2025. Full tour details can be found at www.lifeandtimesofpaddy.com
Next month, the play comes to The Town Hall Theatre in Galway. Wycherley is looking forward to heading back west: “I had some great times doing Rásaí na Gaillimhe down there for TG4. That was great fun, I have to say. I love Galway.”
Audiences may recognise Wycherley more for his TV and movie work, yet the older he gets, the more it seems this remarkably talented actor from Skibbereen wants to put himself in front of theatre audiences.
As he puts it himself: “Your priorities become different. I'm not chasing the American dream or whatever. I'm chasing stuff I want to do.”
Paddy - The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong comes to The Town Hall Theatre, Galway, on Thursday, January 30.
Tickets €25 from www.tht.ie
