It's almost 25 years since Tony winning director Garry Hynes and actors Mick Lally Marie Mullen established the Druid Theatre Company in a school hall in Galway. The trio had better send their glad rags to the dry cleaners - there are going to be a lot of awards ceremonies in next few months.
Nobody can accuse Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Minister Sile de Valera of not being quick off the mark. She ensured the Government was among the first to congratulate Druid for making it close to the quarter century mark when she staged a lavish reception at Government Buildings on Thursday night.
All three founders were there. Hynes flew back from Australia, where she was directing Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the play which earned her that 1998 Tony. Mullen, similarly honoured for her role in the play, took time out from rehearsals for the Abbey's September production of Juno and the Paycock. Lally is taking a breather following his starring role in, a piece by new Galway theatre company Fir Chlis before starting on the new season of .
After the presentation, Garry Hynes emphasised the contribution to Druid of the hundreds of individuals, whether actors, writers or stage crew. She also thanked the audiences which have supported the company.
Other Druid notables on hand included Brian F. O'Byrne, currently in RTE's Amongst Women Sean McGinley who is filming a sequel to last year's "gritty" copshow, Making the Cut Pat Shortt, who co-starred with his D'Unbelievables comedy partner Jon Kenny in Druid's recent production of The Lonesome West, was there. They were joined by Dawn Bradfield, a 1999 Tony nominee and Meryl Streep's co-star in the big screen adaptation of Brian Friel's theatrical blockbuster, Dancing at Lughnasa.
Druid has premiered the work of a slew of celebrated playwrights - including Marina Carr, Jimmy Murphy, Niall Williams Bernard Farrell - so it was appropriate that arguably the best known of the lot, Martin McDonagh, author of the Leenane trilogy, attended.