Green Shoot Production: In the Name of the Son

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Date(s) & Time(s): Wed Apr 30, 7:00pm; Fri May 2 – Sat May 3, 8:00pm

In the Name of the Son
In the Name of the Son is a captivating solo play starring Shaun Blaney that chronicles the extraordinary life of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four following his release from prison in 1989, where he had been held by the British Government for 15 years (The Guildford Four was a group wrongly convicted of a bombing by the Irish Republican Army in a period dubbed The Troubles during the late 20th Century).

In the Name of the Son was written by Conlon’s lifelong friend Richard O’Rawe and Green Shoot Productions Artistic Director, Martin Lynch and directed by Tony Devlin. Th play explores Conlon’s post-prison life, the roller-coaster of newfound freedom—receiving a major financial settlement–mingling with show business celebrities such as Johnny Depp and Daniel Day Lewis, while battling addiction and a sense of guilt for the death of his father in prison. Through raw storytelling and a commanding performance by Blaney, the play portrays Conlon’s ultimate redemption as a global advocate against the miscarriage of justice. It is an unforgettable theatrical experience that shines a light on one man’s unlikely journey and the enduring legacy of British imperialism.

Read Andrew “Boots”Hardy’s Interview with Martin Lynch HERE

Green Shoot Productions
Green Shoot Productions is a Belfast-based non-profit theatre company founded in 2002 committed to developing socially and politically relevant plays that foster dialogue and engagement across communities.

Artist Biographies

Shaun Blaney
Shaun Blaney is a Northern Irish actor, probably best known for his stunning portrayal of Gerry Conlan for Green Shoot Productions, In The Name Of The Son. Shaun was nominated Best Actor at the Irish Theatre Awards (2022) for this one man performance, which later toured from Ireland to the Edinburgh Fringe (2023) and the New Zealand Arts Festival (2024). He recently finished a UK tour of the Tony award winning production Stones In His Pockets for The Barn Theatre. Shaun won Best Actor at the 2015 IAWTV festival in Las Vegas for his original crime drama series Farr (RTE Ireland). Further credits include Game of Thrones (HBO), Bloodlands (BBC), Frankenstein Chronicles (ITV Encore), St Mungos (BBC), The Lodge (Disney), Halo:Nightfall (Scottfree). Theatre credits include Rhino (Tinderbox), Cyprus Avenue (Tron Glasgow), Little Women (The Lyric), Gap Year (The Lyric), Game Of Governments (RADA), The Man Who Fell To Pieces (Tinderbox).

Tony Devlin
Tony was born and raised in West Belfast before leaving for London where he graduated from Mountview Academy with an Honours degree in Acting. In 2007, Tony returned home to Ireland where he established Brassneck Theatre Company in Belfast. As Artistic Director of the multi-award-winning theatre company for the past 17 years, Tony has directed over 20 productions for the company and written six full-length plays. In 2015, Tony won the prestigious ‘Aisling Award’ for his contribution to the arts. In 2022, Tony gained a place on NI Screens New Writer Focus course. In 2023, Tony was awarded a place on the prestigious Puttnam Scholarship Programme with the opportunity to be mentored by Lord David Puttnam.

Martin Lynch
From Belfast, Martin Lynch has written extensively for radio, film, TV and the stage. He began his writing career in 1976 with the Fellowship Community Theatre at Turf Lodge, West Belfast. Since 1980, he has worked as a professional playwright and has written plays for the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Arts Theatre, Belfast, Charabanc Theatre Company, Belfast, and for the Abbey Theatre. Lynch’s plays have been performed throughout Ireland and in the UK, Europe and the USA. Lynch wrote the groundbreaking community play, The Stone Chair, in 1979 and co-wrote (with Marie Jones and the Company) the hugely successful The Wedding Community Play in 2000. Lynch has been coordinator of the Northern Ireland Community Arts Forum since 1998 and is a leading advocate for the community arts in Northern Ireland.

Richard O’Rawe
Richard O’Rawe is a former IRA operative who was imprisoned for bank robbery in the Long Kesh penitentiary during the 1981 hunger strike, which resulted in the death of ten imprisoned IRA members. O’Rawe was the IRA’s press officer for the prisoners. He would later go on to write a bestselling book about the experience, Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike, as well as several other books inspired by his experiences in the IRA, including Afterlives: The Hunger Strike and the Secret Offer that Changed Irish History, and In the Name of the Son: The Gerry Conlon Story. Most recently, he is the author of the IRA-themed thriller, Northern Heist. He lives in Belfast.

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