John's play inspiration

The inspiration for John Martin's play 'Over the Top' which recently ran for several nights in the Riverbank Theatre in Newbridge came from a conversation the retired Army officer had with Kilcullen lady Mary Conroy's grandfather.

Mr Murphy -- we don't have his first name -- was a native of Dunstown and was a WW1 veteran having joined the Dublin Fusaliers in Naas as a teenager.

Unprepared for the horrors of that most inhuman war, he nevertheless survived, and was able to talk to John about his experiences. These formed the basis for what became 'Over the Top' some three decades later.