It's not often a Dublin theatre company decides to premiere a new play in the west of Ireland. So when Rough Magic announced it planned opening its current production, School for Scandal, in Galway, the prospective local audience was delighted.
To mark the occasion, Rough Magic held Thursday night's premiere in aid of the West of Ireland Cardiology Foundation, Croí, which was set up in 1985 to develop the west's badly needed cardiac services. So far, Croí has raised over £3 million towards this aim. A major achievement was the launch of Ireland's first mobile coronary-care ambulance, which advanced the treatment of heart attacks in the west.
Rough Magic's decision to support Croí, which yielded the organization over £2,500, was more than welcome, says Croí's Neil Johnston, as the group is currently involved in a new fundraising venture. This follows the recent announcement by the Minister for Health and Children that Galway is to have a new cardiac surgical unit by 2000.
Mr Cowen has allocated £7.5 million to the unit; Croí has pledged to raise £1 million. This unit will carry out between 300 and 400 operations annually. Currently, patients from the west needing cardiac surgery must go to Dublin and public patients could face a waiting-list of up to five years. "Because of their geographical location, patients in the west of Ireland have been suffering," said Mr Johnston. "This new unit will tilt the balance."
Croí has launched an intensive fund-raising drive to raise its "million for the millennium". Following the Rough Magic premiere, the group is now preparing for a gala film opening in Dublin courtesy of the actor and writer Gabriel Byrne.
Byrne, who is a frequent visitor to Galway, last year became a patron of Croí and at his request proceeds from the gala charity premiere of The Man in the Iron Mask, which will open in Dublin's Savoy Cinema on March 20th, will be divided between Croí and the Bone Marrow for Leukemia Trust. Its cast includes Leonardo Di Caprio, Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich and Byrne himself. Mr Johnstone said all of these are expected to attend both the premiere and the post-show reception.
Byrne has also given his support to the Croí annual ball in Galway in April. Among the special items on auction at the event will be a signed green surgical scrub donated by the ER cast
