The Play ‘Over the Bridge’ was performed by the Watersedge Community Drama Group in Ringsend Technical College at the end of May. The series of acts, scripted and directed by Paul Kennedy, depicted a history of the locality.

The hall in the Tech was for this occasion transformed into a theatre. A sense of anticipation grew as we sat chatting before the show. Friends and families of the performers filled the seats before the play took off as a ‘garda’ cycled his bike onto the stage and the narrator began the story.

Each of the 16 performers had anything up to three different roles as they acted out for us the local ways of life around Ringsend from when it was known as Raytown, right to the present day shenanigans of waiting till you drop for the No. 3 bus. The bigger picture of the changing face of the area from the times of Cromwell to high-rise was narrated with the benefit of slides.

Laughter rolled through the audience during acts such as the hilarious ‘sixties school scene of hapless smoking girl students being tormented by their demented nun or teacher, or the turkey in the bar at Christmas, or the roguery employed to slip unpaying into the pictures. The rendition of the evocative song ‘Pal of my Cradle Days’ by Rose Hogan had many of us in the audience singing along. A great night.

The Watersedge Community Drama Group was founded seven years ago and has many productions under its belt. They meet from September onwards in the Ringsend and District Community Centre on Tuesday nights from 8 to 10pm. All are welcome to join.