The Dundonald Liberation Army

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The author references the late 1970s political satire Citizen Smith, featuring the great Robert Lindsay as Wolfie, borrowing his moniker from the Irish revolutionary fighter Wolfe Tone. In the weeks that followed the statement, Dundonald and Lisburn were thrust into conflict as DLA water-bombs burst across the new ‘super-council’. By in large, the DLA enjoyed the unwavering support of the Dundonald people but anyone who was found to be dissenting would be severely dealt with. The DLA ruled their territory with an iron rod and administered ‘de-baggings’ to anyone found to be engaging in anti-social behaviour or who was outspoken against their regime.

The lead character is a grumpy, lecherous old Irish republican called, simply, Da. He is played and was created by Tim McGarry, a prolific comedy writer and veteran of the legal profession who grew up amid the horrors of religiously divided north Belfast in the 1970s. Like any Northern Irish person of around 60, Mr McGarry has memories that are both dark and farcical. The son of a Catholic surgeon, he recalls the Protestant gang that tried to burn his family home but could not, to judge by a scribbled slogan, spell the name of their own religion correctly. Yet the arts community has as much spirit as Ms Donnelly’s characters, Susie who is “feisty” and Norma who will go toe-to-toe over her principles because she knows she is right. As Donnelly observes, many in the business have worked away in London or elsewhere but choose to return: “We may not make much money but theatre matters. We’ll say, there isn’t a lot of funding but let’s put something on anyway.” New show Vote DLA sees ambitious ideologue Davy hoping to swap violence for votes in his quest to free his home town from the grasp of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council - and he’s dragging his reluctant compadre along with him.

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Other notable roles include ‘John Crazy Horse’ in Dog DLA Afternoon and ‘Dave’ in David Hull’s production of Dirty Dusting , both at Grand Opera House Belfast and Three Sisters at the Lyric Theatre. For Stephen, along with that sense of accomplishment will be the memory of three young men who lost their lives in the last few years. In honour of them, he has teamed up with the suicide prevention charity PIPS to offer billboard advertising throughout the promotional campaign for Vote DLA, as well as pledging to make a donation at the end of the run. Meanwhile, on Derry’s storied walls, which loom large in Protestant memory because of a Catholic siege in 1689, the balance teeters between hope and historical obsession. This year an Anglican cleric—working with Mr Burgess, the playwright, who is Presbyterian—is using the fortifications to stage an Easter passion play. But, as is usual with public events in the city these days, people of all faiths and none are helping out. ■

On 1st April 2015, Lisburn City Council annexed the sleepy civil parish of Dundonald and ended Castlereagh’s long established sovereignty. There was no referendum, no polls or any consultation of public opinion. It was an arranged marriage and one that was to enjoy no honeymoon period whatsoever. The Dundonald populace felt intimidated and resistless but just when it seemed like their hopes had been demolished, a group of renegade mercenaries rose like a phoenix from the rubble. They called themselves the Dundonald Liberation Army. It constantly seems to be ordinary people taking it upon themselves to raise money or awareness,” he added. They are both great to work with – and we're friends as well, so it's not just a working relationship," explains Large, who is currently developing a dramatic screenplay titled Normal Lives set amid the explosion of ecstasy culture in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement. You have to wonder whether this is really the boys’ last outing, but apparently it is, even though other drama series of the Give My Head Peace variety keep reinventing themselves.Stephen’s stage comedies Carol’s Christmas (2016), Three’s A Shroud (2017-2018), and A Dog DLA Afternoon (2019), have been sell-out successes in venues including the Grand Opera House and Waterfront Hall. For another attempt to laugh sectarianism out of existence, turn to the Dundonald Liberation Army ( dla), consisting of two amiably boneheaded warriors bent on freeing the Belfast suburb of Dundonald from the nearby town of Lisburn (into which, in real life, it has been incorporated). Having built up a big following on Facebook, the doughty guerrillas will make their third appearance on the Belfast stage in June. The DLA’s commander is played by Matthew McElhinney, an energetic young actor-director whose many contributions to Belfast theatre have included a turn in “Three’s a Shroud”, a hilarious skit on Catholic and Protestant undertakers.

But they clearly haven’t and they joke about there not being enough nudity in the play for Matthew McElhinney’s liking. Jo Donnelly adds: “It’s lovely in this show to have no fear, you just have to let go of preconceptions.” After navigating their way through a global pandemic, Davy and Horse realise their dream of an independent republic of Dundonald will only be achieved with a political strategy. More seriously, the group have concerns about the fact Northern Ireland hasn’t a functioning Assembly at the moment. McCabe comments that this is a slap in the face: “We’re so jaded by it now. We’ve had years without government.” He’s the top man or miscreant of the DLA and represents a portmanteau of all sorts of illustrious figures. Wasn’t there one loyalist paramilitary known as the Mexican?” Laughter breaks out.

As the DLA waged its watery war across the new borough, they watched on in dismay at how their struggle was being portrayed via the media. The army council decided if they were going to win this war then they would need to fight on all fronts and therefore they required a political strategy. The D.I.C. (Dundonald Independence Committee) was established with the objective of having a legitimate political agenda running in tandem with the DLA’s armed campaign. Stephen’s debut screenplay Normal Lives (2018-2020), about the dance scene and life in post-Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland is in development with the Northern Ireland Film Board. So it's sort of an equal opportunity offender in that regard. There is no agenda there other than to rip the p*** out of everyone equally. That's proper satire to me." However, DLA's second-in-command Horse becomes increasingly resentful of Davy’s lavish new lifestyle as a public servant, with a seemingly bottomless expense account. Horse rejects the DLA’s ceasefire and splinters the movement. You don't know what the person next to you in the theatre is going through, and if you can bring them a bit of light relief for a couple of hours of what might have been a horrendous week, you feel like you're helping in some way.