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“I’VE BEEN TRYING to tell this story for 27 years.” Writer Christian O’Reilly has long wanted to share the story of his friend Martin Naughton, an incomparable disability activist, a man who O’Reilly likens to Michael Collins.
Naughton was tenacious, determined; he knew his own worth even when the world around him claimed not to. Born with muscular dystrophy, he – and his younger sister Barbara – was sent to a residential hospital in his early years. This practice of moving people away from their home (he was from An Spidéal, the hospital was in Dublin), was common at the time.
As an adult, he travelled to America. There he learned about the disability rights movement, and disability activism, said O’Reilly. He returned to Ireland determined to bring about change – to show that there was more that society should be doing to include, rather than exclude, patronise or ignore, people with disabilities. To show the huge gaps that were there in terms of accessibility and services.
Anyone who attended a disability rights protest outside the Dáil would have seen Naughton there, usually wearing an eye-catching hat. He knew to go right to the seat of power to get heard, but he also had to battle against that power and system his entire life.
So no wonder O’Reilly has long wanted to tell Naughton’s story. He tried once: Naughton was the inspiration for the 2004 film Inside I’m Dancing. But, as can happen with commercial film projects, the story soon evolved in a different direction from O’Reilly’s initial pitch.
Now he has a second chance, with the play No Magic Pill, which will visit the Black Box stage in Galway this coming week, followed by the Civic Theatre in Tallaght.
The pair first met when O’Reilly, then a writer “getting nowhere”, applied for a job after seeing an ad in the DCU newsletter. He got the job, which was in a place called the Centre for Independent Living (CIL), which Naughton had helped to found in 1990. The centre was a world away from the institutionalisation approach to disabilities.
“I turned up and quite soon a door was pushed open, and in rolled a man in a wheelchair with a fishing hat on his head and a cigarette in his mouth,” said O’Reilly. “He said to me, ‘shake the thumb’, and that was my introduction to Mark Naughton.”
O’Reilly went on to work “effectively as a lobbyist” for CIL. “Martin described CIL as the IRA of disability,” said O’Reilly. “He said our job is to create change, it’s to plant bombs, it’s to agitate for change.” CIL stood out because it was run by the people for whom it was advocating.
“This motley crew were the misfits of disability – within the hierarchy of disability they were on the very bottom,” said O’Reilly. They were radical and subversive, and they had to be because of how little the state offered them.
Inside I’m Dancing
One night over 20 years ago, at 3am, O’Reilly woke up with a bolt of inspiration – he should write about Naughton. He told a friend, James Flynn of Metropolitan Films International, about his pitch, and how a film should be made about Naughton’s return from the US, and his work in getting EU funding for a pilot personal assistance programme for people who were physically disabled.
The film “went in a very different direction” in the end, and though O’Reilly loves it he knows that it was not Martin Naughton’s story as he wanted to tell it.
O’Reilly does not have a disability, and spoke to Naughton about whether he should have been the one to tell his story. “Martin replied: there is one reason you should tell it – because you want to.”
O’Reilly felt “such a sense of failure” when Inside I’m Dancing became a different thing to his initial idea. He felt regret, and avoided returning to Naughton’s story. Then he met Jane Daly from the Irish Theatre Institute, who asked him what story he hadn’t told but was afraid to tell.
The answer could only be one thing: that original story – called No Magic Pill – about Naughton. She told him the fear of writing it was the very reason to write it. Getting Arts Council funding for the play made it all happen.
But it wasn’t easy – he tried adapting the screenplay, but that was “a mess”. He reached out to Naughton to tell him he was trying to tell his story again, only to discover his old friend – just 62 – was in his final days. He sent a note to him, thanking him for everything, and promising to finish the play.
Celebration
While working on the play, Naughton brought on board director Raymond Keane and disability consultant Peter Kearns, and found that the play became less of a hagiography of Naughton’s life, where he is depicted as a saintly figure, but instead taps into his spirit.
The decision was made early on to only cast disabled actors. “There are very few professional disabled actors in Ireland, because they haven’t been given the training or opportunity,” said O’Reilly. “And the practice in Irish theatre is to cast non-disabled actors in those roles. We said – we’re going to break that trend, and we’re going to draw a line in the sand. So that from No Magic Pill onwards, that practice of casting non-disabled actors in those parts comes to an end.”
They partnered with Independent Living Movement Ireland (formerly CIL), the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disability Federation of Ireland, who helped them to locate disabled actors – including some people who hadn’t acted before, but wanted to. “There’s a risk in that, but it’s also completely exhilarating,” said O’Reilly.
While the film Inside I’m Dancing did break ground at the time in bringing the story of two disabled characters to the mainstream in film, two non-disabled actors were cast. No Magic Pill shows how this practice doesn’t need to continue.
O’Reilly had earlier worked with a cast of intellectually disabled actors on the play Sanctuary, which he was commissioned to write by Blue Teapot Theatre Company, which tells stories through the lens of disability.
All the characters in No Magic Pill are inspired by real people. The story centres on a character inspired by Martin Naughton while he is at a crossroads in his life, having had a funding request turned down. He questions whether he should “stay and fight, or whether it’s time to pursue a lifelong dream of escaping to America”, said O’Reilly. The play flashes back to moments in his life, from his childhood, to his time in St Mary’s Hospital, to how he became politicised.
While the topic overall is a serious one, O’Reilly underlines that it’s not a dour or overly-serious play. Just like Martin Naughton, it’s full of life and energy. “It’s a really entertaining, funny, I hope moving, surprising, unexpected story,” said O’Reilly. And it’s most definitely not that awful phrase, “inspiration porn”.
Because O’Reilly himself is not disabled, there will be questions around the suitability of him writing No Magic Pill. “It is a fair question – why should a non-disabled person be writing about disability?” he said. “What allowed me to bridge that gap was having Peter Kearns on my team – he’s a disabled man and is also a dramaturg, and specifically a disability equality dramaturg.”
Kearns’ training is in seeing the work through the lens of disability equality, and O’Reilly said Kearns trained all the team in this – teaching them, for example, about the differences between the medical model of disability versus the social model of disability: that the disabled person is the ‘problem’ versus the belief that society is disabling people through lack of access and negative attitudes. Every line of the play was filtered through Kearns, and through asking – does this fit the social model?
A guiding line for the team throughout the process was the CIL motto: “Nothing for us without us.” It wasn’t a case of O’Reilly coming in and deciding what other people’s lives were like – it was hugely collaborative.
The play will have ISL and audio captioning, and work is ongoing to make the venues fully accessible for both crew and audience. An extended ramp is being put into the Black Box Theatre, and an accessible toilet is being put backstage as well as in the audience section. Similar moves are being made at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght. The fact that accessible toilets aren’t as standard backstage across all theatre venues speaks volumes to the barriers there for disabled actors. Other challenges they faced were finding accessible rehearsal studios and also accessible accommodation.
O’Reilly notes that the Arts Council was great in supporting the production, and also in helping with disability access costs.
Martin Naughton was well known in the disability activism sector – indeed, President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to him after he died – but perhaps was not well-known enough on a national scale considering the work he did. “I sort of see him as the Michael Collins of the disability movement, leading the War of Independence for disabled people,” said O’Reilly.
He hopes that the work prompts yet more discussion about Naughton’s life. There must also be the hope that it sparks more of the ongoing conversation around how Ireland treats people with disabilities, something which activists like Naughton have been speaking out about for decades.
“In a way it’s obviously only a play, but at the same time, if the play can start a conversation about the widespread social exclusion of disabled people from Irish society, that sense of marginalisation and sense of invisibility that many feel, that would be great,” said O’Reilly. “We’re trying to say let’s look at this group and look at how we can change – not just in the arts, but within all of society.”
“It’s hugely challenging – but it’s also massively important. And if the play can contribute to or start that conversation, we’ll have done something right.”
No Magic Pill is directed by Raymond Keane, written by Christian O’Reilly, performed by Sorcha Curley, Mark Fitzgerald, Peter Kearns, Ferdia MacAonghusa, Julie Sharkey and Paddy Slattery. Dramaturg and disability consultant is Peter Kearns.
It will run at the Black Box Theatre in Galway from Tuesday 27 – Friday 30 September at 8pm. Suitable for age 12+ and tickets are €20/€18. Booking at the theatre website. It will also run during Dublin Theatre Festival at the Civic, Tallaght, from 4 – 8 October at 8pm. Tickets: €25/€23 and can be purchased via the Civic Theatre website or in person, or at the Dublin Theatre Festival or box office.
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She hasn’t paid anything towards her mortgage in two and half years…if I’d didn’t Pay my rent tomorrow for December I’d be out on the street for Xmas too.
Two kids, Christmas? What difference a few weeks in the scheme of things?
It’s got feck all to do with Christmas. Shes clearly using the publicity being evicted at Christmas is bringing hoping that the bank/sheriff have a change of heart or want to avoid the negative publicity. If she hasn’t paid rent since 2013 she’s lucky to have stayed in the property for so long. I hope she gets fined for over holding
Exactly no attempts made by her, now she is gone to media..
strange I did not read how she has gone to media
very sensitive about media coverage are some people, whats wrong with highlighting an ordinary families story dealing with the banks? the banks won aren’t you happy???
Highlight ppl who are pushed out of homes… Not those who feel they should get a free one…she made no attempts to pay mortgage, should she be rewarded??
pushed due to unemployment? is that what you mean? or now she has a job its too late banks want their house back plus interest?…im confused
No ciaran, she opted not to engage or pay any money.. If she tried paying 10 euro a week I bet the bank would have had trouble putting her out, but she decided she didn’t need to pay her mortgage..
you don’t know that via this article
Well she hadn’t paid anything since 2013. Think its clear to say she didn’t engage. I have a problem with the headline of this article though. The bank are not evicting her. The house was repossessed because she wasn’t paying anything some time ago. She took it upon herself to re-enter a home she no longer had a right to be in and is being removed from it again. There is a line of thinking among some people who think that just because someone was able to get a mortgage in the past, that they are entitled to the house for free. Get real people. Houses cost money and if you are not willing to pay for it, the real owners of the house (the banks) will find someone who will. As for this woman, if she couldn’t afford the mortgage, she should have handed back the keys long ago and rented somewhere or moved somewhere she can afford. If she has failed to get alternative accommodation at this stage nearly nine months after a repossession order has been given, she is a very silly person indeed.
Confused coz you’re another freeloading waster !!!
No disrespects but there will be an Xmas next year too. She hadn’t paid in 2 years for gods sake.
Dairmuid, if it was an ordinary recession and I was 35 years old I guess I would have agreed with you. The mortgage crisis is one where people have been oversold loans for properties that have become worthless to sell on. When family homes are at stake, when deposits and life savings are wrapped up, and there’s job losses (again due to a catastrophic climate unheard of since the 30′s) so the depression an numbness sets in. Like a rabbit in the headlights it’s hard to know which way your going, especially with kids, and 24 months is not an unheard of timescale in the repossession process. Most people at the beginning of this mess were will to pay and were working all house god sends – but when the Government also makes it hard with taxes and USC to keep your head up, when costs are increasing all around you, its easy to sink, loose your will to live even.
Where I think the Banks are failing (and the judiciary ) is in recognising thing do change, as they clearly have. This verdict is being churlish and short sighted. The banks didn’t behave straight with us, nor came clean with politicians questions, and they had a second chance no problem – so why shouldn’t she? Indeed where is the justice.
We are rewarding failed politicians every day in fact we pay out over 65 million a year to the ones that ruined this country …. this woman or any of us did not get bailed its was the banks and the gamblers …. and then this gov’t passed an illegal bill to give the vultures we bailed more power to put families out of their homes …… shame on the people that think its ok to throw this woman and her children out of their home … we have over 200 thousand children homeless already in this country .. what part of that do people not get .. over 750k living in poverty yet our politicians can turn up in the dail to pass a Fat 6% increase on their already over inflated salary …. its time to cut that gravy train cord …
Not really the bank’s fault here, is it? It’s unfortunate but everyone has to live in reality too.
If she had of engaged with her lender come to an agreement she wouldn’t be out on the street , the bank may have even written off a portion of the loan.
Did the bank offer that option? I doubt it.
Not up to bank to offer Kerry if she can’t be bothered to talk with them even.
Try telling that to Paul Murphy and Ruth coppinger!!!
The sympathy on this site is overwhelming. Is it fair that her children are homeless for Christmas? Do you think she wants to live on the streets with them? Ass-holes on here talking about the ‘real world ‘ have no idea about what that means for some people. Well done to the politicians who promised this behaviour by the banks would be stopped. This shows where the real power lies in this country.
John she was evicted in October, she went back illegally so it’s down to her that it’s so near Christmas now.
What do you suggest the banks do? When someone doesn’t pay their mortgage and won’t even engage with them what are they suppose to do? If they do nothing and let her stay well where does that leave the rest of us? Is it ok if I decide I don’t want to pay my mortgage anymore? Can I stay in my house?
John Judd I am paying a mortgage for myself and did not engage with the bank, no arrears on my account but the bank did not engage with me when they are charging me for the new mortgages at the bank. This was confirmed by the central bank last May in their report available on line. My point is the children are innocent and are victims . They unlike me cannot call the bank to explain why my mortgage contract states I should only pay my own mortgage and nobody else’s . The financial omnibus man await their answer. As I do.
The mother should have moved into rental accommodation prior to now as she has clearly defaulted on her mortgage contract.
so you bought houses for your kids then. put them in their names..you pay the morgages…well good for you.
Yeah but the mothers inaction has caused this not the banks action. If you see the kids as the victim then it’s the mothers fault. Not the banks.
The bank more than likely got paid already, through the securitisation process and they also insure the loan so get paid 3 months after default. Why would you pay someone that got paid already? Also, the banks got bailed out what about the people?!
That is the stupidest comment I have ever read. You clearly live in cloud cuckoo land. I’d expect your logic from a 5 yr old
Securitisation is a FACT. They sell your mortgage on the stock exchange as a bond and therefore get paid. So you are the one living in cloud cuckoo land. Maybe you should do some research before you open your dumb mouth . sheep!
Don’t see any issue here. Time of year is irrelevant especially as she was evicted previously. Headline should read “trespasser/squatter removed from property”
Will the rent-a-crowd from the Gorse Hill episode turn up to help her or do they only turn up at really expensive houses?
She may end up being stuck with the Coppinger mob instead.
There is no issue. She hasn’t paid her mortgage in years. She did not engage with the bank. Clear cut case if there ever was one. This is just the media trying to capitalise on people’s heartstrings for all that sweet click money.
How much was your click worth Timbo?
About Tree Fiddy.
well she didnt pay anything for years, then after a hefty plea from her lawyers was given 6 months to engage with the bank..but didnt. Theres not a landlord in the country could or would do this. She should have copped on after the last court case, and her, probably free legal aid, should have been checking. The whole thing stinks..and not a red cent should be paid to her legal team, they didnt check up on her. I do feel sorry for the kids, and I hope they have family around to help them have a lovely Christmas.
You pay (or in this case the state pays) lawyers to represent you in court, they are not paid to babysit an individual and check that they’re doing what they’re told. If she hadn’t the cop on to engage with the bank that totally down to her. You can’t blame her legal representative.
yes I can..they went back into court for her again..who do you think is paying for this pallava..in fact the legal help she was getting should not have represented her as they knew she had broken a previous court judgement..but what do they care..its just another bill/invoice for us real taxpayers.
So what do they do? Refuse to represent her because she didn’t engage? Everyone is entitled to a defence regardless of what they’ve done.
This woman is to blame and she alone is responsible for the predicament she’s in.
yes. maybe her legal free team could make a qualified argument for the kida..and dont get me wrong, I would wish the best of holidays for the kids..their mum knew what was happenning..she was told, she ignored it..her fault
jane jenni the legal bill like the mortage will follow her around so no public money will no be frittered away like say a 100 million write down for special customers
The taxpayer will foot the bill for this individual through legal aid scheme.
that’s whats wrong with you, you think you know it all, the cost of the legal teams, yes teams, will be added to her bill when the now decently priced house is sold. she will still owe the money yet the banks will get their money back maybe not all they had expected but enough in their mind to warrant the eviction
Three years of arrears and failing to turn up to court? Already evicted and went back anyway? Didn’t make a single application during the 6-month extension she got? What other outcome could be expected?
8 years of arrears. 2007 was the first default and only 2 payments made in that time.
Yep it sounds like she cut off contact when she got into difficulty and, if that’s true, it would never work. Not sure how much different it would have been if she’d engaged with them but it sounds like the situation is past the point of rescue. A real lose-lose situation.
Boo hoo it’s Christmas. So what! Sounds like she should have been out long ago. Shame she did nothing to help herself.
This is what happens when people bury there heads in the sand about stuff like this….. No other course of action she obviously gave the bank the two fingers along time ago…
No word of your man from AAA saying it’s here right not to pay and every F##ker on dole for years should be giving everything for free.
Call in the Coppinger.
I’ve visions of her and murphy dressed up as batman and robin!!!!
Maybe Wally can tap a keyboard and print some money for her..
maybe Kenny can arrange some favourable terms and conditions on her loan
Hear you all. But Christmas is a time for family and home so really if its going on for over 2 years could they not just wait until the festive season is over.
No, time of year is irrelevant
Nope, time has well expired here. She has been living in the property for years without paying a cent and with no engagment. She had her chance to engage and didn’t bother. Only one person at fault here and that is the her.
Emotion has no place in business, Vinnie.
Even her heart felt pleas couldn’t sway the judge. Hopefully she has family to stay with over the Christmas and being around them will make her understand she really couldn’t afford that house.
I’m with you. It is a heart breaker but maybe her and her children sleeping on family/friends couches for the foreseeable (over 3 years on the list?) will do her and her children good…
Charlie, the time of the year doesnt matter certainly when the ‘laws’ of business are put to one side when some failed business entities and not let fail and are instead propped up with public monies!!!!!!??
I kinda get what you are saying Nigel and I am as angry as any about the availability of affordable accommodation but…she dug this hole for herself…
I don’t want to think of how the kids will suffer but her approach to this was kind of silly. Granted we don’t know all the details but she really made a balls of it all by herself. False pride or brazen stupidity it is of her own doing.
Agreed in that she looks to have gone about things the wrong way..youre correct there. My point is in terms of the application of the law and also the rules of free market
wouldn’t pay her way out to be f@cked
cheapest rent in Ireland 7k for 8 years.
Pay your mortgage love.
I dont see any issues here. The time of the year is irrelevant. If I dont pay my rent this month, Ill be kicked out of the property before Christmas too. She had years to engage with the bank and try to sort things out.
It is not unusual for people who are faced with the loss of their home to be paralysed into activity.
In the 1980s, lending institution started sending out mortgage counsellors to distressed borrowers in a proactive way to talk to people in their own homes and proactively to seek early compromises and restoration to compliance where possible.
There are now major problems:-
1. Most distressed borrowers can’t afford legal representation and it takes too long to process civil legal aid applications. The income threshold to qualify for civil legal aid is too low.
2. The Courts are frightening places to those without legal representation.
3. The option of affordable rental properties no longer exists.
4. Social housing is impossible to obtain even for unemployed couples with young children on little or no incomes.
5. Greeting a security deposit and 3 months rent in advance together is impossible.
It is not unusual for houses which are possessed by Court Order being left vacant for longer than 12 months whilst the properties increase in value sold only when property prices increase enough for the lending institution. This adds to the housing shortage.
The entering back into possession was done out of pure desperation.
Totally agree Fiona, and least we forget the Banks, had all the money provided to make the adjustments to assist distressed mortgages, looks more like they’ve just have horded it, or totally refitted all their branches! ! Meanwhile, a huge swath of the population face inordinate stress and oblivion, even if they do engage. Its like talking to people with amnesia.
God what has happened to irish society when we have people changing profile pictures to filters of the French flag but would see there own citizens out on the street in favour of banks who robbed this nation if freedom! It’s sickening and turns my stomach
What happened to people paying their bills, engaging with their lenders? What happened to people showing a good example to their kids, being responsible adults and responsible for their own actions?
Perhaps what happened was the economic crash, the billion(s) dollar bank bail out, and thousands of people losing their jobs through no fault of their own? Followed by years of austerity, double down of taxes, and the roll back of wages/benefits?
Well said gold
its amazing how the number of repo’s for the banks ties in with the housing market upturn in prices
the statistics are uncanny on this
@ West Cork Lad
We cannot possibly put any blame on those banks for giving out 100′s of million € loans to developers as it was the ordinary Irish persons fault 100%-did you not know of this ?
@Suzie
“Well said,Gold”
Well said what,exactly?
This woman probably went into arrears for the first time ever in her life for one of many a reason (look at West Cork Lads post) -Also ,the banks haven’t really be a shining beacon when it comes to engaging with people in the very early years of this bust ..
At least engage your brain ..somebit
“What happened to people paying their bills, engaging with their lenders? What happened to people showing a good example to their kids, being responsible adults and responsible for their own actions?”
id hate to think this country will be full of kids raised by parents like you and your ilk, do you need reminding of what happened and how people were sacrificed so the banks could be kept going?
ff/fg/lab have decided who they will back when push came to shove
Frank , I’m well aware … The woman didn’t even engage with the courts , she did not even try to seek any advise , there was help there for her , even if it wasn’t from the banks . you can’t just live for free for 8 years .
This case does a disservice and detracts from genuine unjust cases of couples struggling to keep up mortgage payments to callous banksters who’d rather they’d default so that they can repossess and resell.
Can not both sides come to an arrangement via insolvency…or something like that?
Would the outcome not have been the same if she went insolvent? Wouldn’t she have to give up her home regardless?
She probably won’t have any debt following her out of this as I’m sure the bank will sell the house for at least the outstanding mortgage value.
Her credit rating isn’t going to be great though for the foreseeable.
I think you’ll find she’s had 8 free Christmases since 2007!
She refused to engage for years , she may not be in this state if she worked with them from the beginning .
Yeah Suzie because the banks are such understanding folk…….
If you talk with them Kerry, you’ll find that they will assist.
Kerry , makes no odds , you still can’t ignore them for 8 years.
I know things can be hard & with kids but 3 years with out paying a mortgage you think you could save some thing, if not I m sure you could get help if your are homeless with kids as bad as things are I don’t think the council would turn you away.
Fg force is all over this, enjoy evictions much or does it depend?
With so many “honest thieves” in this country (et hem) it seems disingenuous to hold this woman/family as the poster children of greed. There are far, far, better clowns out there in a race to the bottom for this award, including, ironically, many bankers. Ironic is it not? Her circumstance and theirs is a result of the absence of sound public policy.
Any pictures of her? Might let her stay at my gaf.
Knuckle draggers are out tonight! Same crew different story
It time like this we see which side people are on… I for one admire her fight and courage.
Any attempt to pay something is a good thing . But to totally ignore it is simply stupid
Hold the phone, this country has a sheriff!?
Tell her to get to the hub. They will help her
Hello,
My name is Amanda Flinch, I was struggling with funds and in need 0f a quick loan of 18,000 euro to settle my debts and I tried everything I can think of and couldn’t seem to find any other way of getting the money because I had a bad credit and the bank wouldn’t answer to my cries. To God be the glory I just got my loan today December 29th in my banking account by the help of John Michael from ACE LOAN SERVICE (aceloanservices@hotmail.com), a loan company, after applying 3 weeks ago. I was directed to him by a friend after I was scammed of my hard earned. Initially, I needed a sum of 9,000 euro but after several scammers took money from me, I was left in a bigger debt in the period of 7 months but today I can boldly and proudly say I have paid the debts and I assure you out there looking for a loan to contact him he is a real and a legitimate lender. aceloanservices@hotmail.com
They are legit and honest and I promise myself to help those in need of a loan and also to expose those people who take advantage of our defenseless situation. contact Mr John now on aceloanservices@hotmail.com
Thank you.
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