Former housewife Betty Clarke followed her dreams to become an actress at the age of 39. It proves anything is possible, she tells Fiona Murdoch

Tired of her mundane existence as a housewife, Shirley Valentine (42) packs her bags and escapes to Greece; fed up with "soul destroying" office work, Betty Clarke (39) takes off to Egypt where she attends a two-week life-enhancing seminar.

Both women have been feeling despondent as they enter mid-life; both decide to pursue their dreams before it is too late.

Valentine, as anyone who has seen the play or film is aware, is a fictional character. Clarke, on the other hand, is not.

Still an "absolutely innocent child" when she married young, she gave birth to Ruairi (now 15)

at the age of 24. Following the breakdown of her marriage two years later, she became a single mother.

Although she continued with the secretarial work she had taken up on leaving school, Clarke never forgot her secret childhood ambition of treading the boards. A lack of self-confidence prevented her from chasing her acting dream. Until a year ago, that is.

"When I was in Egypt I learned that there is energy within us all - that I just needed to tap into that," she says. "Realising that the only limits were in my mind, I allowed myself to say out loud what I've always wanted to do - be an actress."

As soon as she returned home, Clarke got stuck into rehearsals of Shirley Valentine - a play she believes was written for her. "It was so appropriate for me because it's all about the fact that it's never too late to do what you want to do.

"There is something of Shirley Valentine inside each one of us: most people are afraid to go for what they want and they settle for mundane security. And yet there's all this talent inside every one of us and it is never too late to tap into that and use it to make your dreams happen.

"I feel now that I've found what I should have been doing all my life. I love performing and I believe acting is my destiny."

Clarke performed to a "packed out" Andrew's Lane Theatre in Dublin for a week last June. The audience was so "enthralled" she decided to take the show on a tour.

In the audience of her Drogheda performance last October was Luis Garcia, chief fire marshal of the New York Fire Department. So delighted was he with the show that he invited Clarke to perform in the firemen's social club in Brooklyn.

She heads there on April 10th and will not only perform, but also present the fire department with a cheque for, she hopes, €65,000. All proceeds from her current tour will go to the New York Fire Fighters Fund.

Ruairi will not be accompanying his mum to the Big Apple as he will be studying for his Junior Cert exams. But he is behind her all the way. Clarke reckons that pursuing her dream has benefited her son.

"It has broadened his whole horizon and he sees now that it is possible to obtain what you want in life. It's brilliant to think that I've encouraged him to think big, to go for what he wants.

"He wants to be a professional golfer and that's his whole focus. He plays golf in school, he trains at a golf club and he plays in tournaments."

As a single parent, Clarke has found it difficult to pursue interests beyond parenting and work. "You've nobody to share the responsibility with or give you time out. Your child is depending so much on you and that emotional dependency can be very difficult to cope with."

As Ruairi has grown older, however, life has become easier. Six months ago he started boarding. "It's very healthy for him because there is great camaraderie and he has a level of security I don't know that I'd have been able to give him."

Clarke would like now to go into acting full-time. She hopes a performance course she is attending at the Gaiety School of Acting will result in film work or a role in the likes of Fair City.

"If you want something, you've got to go for it," she says. "Like Shirley Valentine, you've got to follow your dreams."

•Betty Clarke will appear in Shirley Valentine in Athenry on March 6th and Portumna on March 7th. For further dates and venues or to invite Clarke to perform in your area call 086-8568758 or 087-2600384. A donation to the New York Fire Fighters Fund can be made into Bank of Ireland, Drogheda, account no 4589926, sort code 903322.