Shortlisted for the ZebbieAwards 2022: Alarm Bells is a radio play written and produced by the Green Ember Arts collective. It portrays the escalating housing crisis through an anthology of short scenes in which a small fraction of those most affected by homelessness are represented. Alarm Bells examines the reality of the housing crisis and the contrast of a dominant media narrative of economic recovery. Ireland now has over 100,000 people on public housing lists and over 10,000 homeless.

Cast
Eva Blackwell, Adam Redmond, Kyle Gardiner, Gareth White, Tara Power, Alan O’Brien, Des Egan, Melissa Nolan, Cassie Ivers, Chloe Rooney, Shauna Kindillon, Geraldine McCallahan, Frank Allen, Brendan Laird, Margaret O’Brien, Dainora Vilkonciute, Chael Vilkonciute, Camillus John, Jorja Siwale, Taryn Siwale and Nathan McKenzie.

Writers
Dave Blackwell, Alan O’Brien, Patrick Ferris, Berni Dwan.

Crew
Producers: Dave Blackwell, Berni Dwan.
Director: Patrick Ferris.
Editors: David Blackwell, Neil Farrelly.
Sound: David Blackwell, Neil Farrelly, Paul Loughran.
Music: Thomas McCarthy

Made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, with the television licence fee.

Alarm Bells

Praise for Snow Falls from the judges of the P.J. O'Connor Award, 2016:

‘Beautifully written… this writer has soul, this writer has heart, and has given it to the character… you want to hear this woman’s story... incredibly personal, incredibly internal.’ – Marina Carr, author of By the Bog of the Cats.

‘There is a huge tapestry being built, not just acoustically, but visually… It’s very real, you can relate to all of it.’ – Rachel West, director with RAW theatre company. 

Green Ember Arts presents: 'Snow Falls And So Do We.'

The play tells the story of a young Ballymun woman, Joanne Boland, and her relationship with her community, family, and her struggle with the bureacracy above her. The play is inspired by the tragic death of Rachel Peavoy, who froze to death in her flat in Ballymun in January 2010. It is a fictional tale, where the only concrete-similarity between Rachel and Joanne Boland is the nature of their tragic and untimely deaths. Joanne Boland's character consists of a cacophony of mother's voices that have resonated with the author while growing up there. Joanne Boland represents all Ballymun mothers, sisters, aunts etc. It is also a reflection on what has been lost in the 'Mun, from the closeknit community that thrived there, bustling in and out of the shopping centre and its two public houses, The Towers and The Penthouse; to the whistling of the wind from the wind-vortexes that emerged between the blocks. 'Snow Falls and So Do We' is both a homage to Ballymun and to the people of Ballymun past and present.

The play is available under the creative commons license for non-commercial listening purposes, for commercial licensing please contact: greenemberarts@gmail.com.

Cast:
Melissa Nolan as Joanne Boland
Brendan Laird as Shamie, Joanne's Grandfather

Producer/editor: Dave Blackwell
Sound/ mastering: Ed Costello

Original score: Christophe Capewell

Written by Alan O'Brien
Directed by Patrick Ferris

The director thanks: Clemence Saintemarie, of course. Patrick Francis Ferris, Margaret Ferris, Mick Cardiff, and Sheila Cardiff for instilling in me a sense of art in reality, never letting anyone tell you what you can or cannot do, and an enjoyment of jumping off very high things and landing. Kevin Reynolds in RTÉ, for being Kevin Reynolds. Cillian Byrne of Smitbyrne, Gorey for the quick and painless graphic design job. James Daly, as it's only right he gets thanked for something. And the purse-strings - for the opportunity, belief, and encouragement.

The writer thanks: A special and warm thanks must go to the huge amount of my friends who helped obtain sound effects. Every single one was greatly appreciated and I thank you all with all my heart.

Legends include: Kathleen Frith, Gemma Hanney, Joe Kelly, Seán Kenny (as young Ballymuner voice shouting), Russell Fitzpatrick, Scott Wright, All the Clancy gang’s kids too many to record, The boys: Jordan Fox (the only north/south-sider I’ve ever met. This young man embodies Dublin, in its entirety), Jamie Butler, Liam O’Brien, Michael Hammill’s indubitable spirit! A special thanks to an extremely impressive pair of young men and a pair of artists that are in lightning-mode in the Irish hip-hop scene, Ryan and Ger of 5th Element, Noel McCormick, Mark Gilsinen. And a very large thank you for all the time he spent reading my first draft and helping me collect sound-effects in his home, a man who has a rare streak of genius himself but would be reluctant to admit it, that is also one of my oldest and dearest friends, Brian Cafferey.

Green Ember Arts

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