A vibrant new theatre production celebrating one of the most exciting periods in the cultural history of Tuam and Galway is set to premiere at the Mick Lally Theatre this November. Shamtown, written by Saw Doctors manager Ollie Jennings, will receive its first full professional production from November 15 to 22, 2026, under the direction of award-winning theatre director Andrew Flynn, with musical direction by Carl Kennedy.
Set against the backdrop of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Shamtown captures a remarkable period when the West of Ireland was bursting with creativity, music and artistic ambition. It was a time when Macnas transformed Galway’s streets with spectacular parades, when The Waterboys recorded the iconic Fisherman’s Blues album in Spiddal, and when an emerging band from Tuam took to the stage at the first Féile festival in Thurles, embarking on a journey that would see them become one of Ireland’s most beloved acts.
Known affectionately as “Shamtown,” Tuam has long enjoyed a reputation as a town rich in music, storytelling and community spirit. During the showband era of the 1960s, three successful bands operated from the Ballygaddy Road.
In 1980, punk pioneers Blaze X electrified local audiences, packing the Scout Hall and introducing a new sound to the town with their single Some Hope. Yet by the following decade, the economic realities of recession had cast a shadow over many communities. The closure of the sugar factory, growing unemployment and waves of emigration forced many young people to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Amid these challenges, however, something special was quietly taking shape in the back room of McEvoy’s Jersey Bar in Tuam. Musicians gathered night after night, passing around guitars and mandolins, swapping songs and stories while free pints kept spirits high. It was here that two young songwriters, Leo Moran and Davy Carton, began crafting songs rooted in local life, capturing the hopes, humour and heartbreak of ordinary people. Their music would soon resonate far beyond the town’s boundaries.
The origins of Shamtown can be traced back to the Covid lockdown, when Ollie Jennings began collecting memories, anecdotes and stories from those who had experienced the rich arts and music scene of Tuam and Galway during that transformative period. Inspired by these recollections and following a script workshop with director Andrew Flynn, Jennings developed a theatrical production that combines storytelling with the songs that helped define a generation.
At the heart of the show are many of the much-loved songs associated with The Saw Doctors, including To Win Just Once, Same Oul’ Town, Clare Island and I Useta Lover. The latter was co-written by Paul Cunniffe, Davy Carton, Leo Moran and Padraig Stevens and went on to become one of the most enduring songs in Irish popular music.
More than simply a musical retrospective, Shamtown is a joyous and uplifting celebration of friendship, creativity and community. Through music, humour and storytelling, it charts how a group of unlikely young men from Tuam captured the imagination of a nation and carried the spirit of the West onto stages across Ireland and beyond. The story culminates with their triumphant homecoming at the legendary West’s Awake Festival in Tuam Stadium in 1991, a landmark event that remains etched in local memory.
The production features a cast of eight actors and three musicians, including Saw Doctors drummer Rickie O’Neill, who recently appeared in a Vodafone television advertisement. Joining him are actors Jarlath Tivnan and Midie Corcoran, alongside singers Eilish McCarthy, Eoin Mullins and Emily Donoghue.
The development of Shamtown has been supported through funding from Galway City Council Arts Office, the Town Hall Theatre Patron Scheme and an Agility Award from the Arts Council awarded to Ollie Jennings.
Tickets for the November run at the Mick Lally Theatre are available through the Town Hall Theatre Box Office and online at tht.ie
