Every actor has that one performance where it feels they’ve gone to hell and back. For Dónal Finn the moment of reckoning arrived on July 21st, 2024, when he was starring in the musical Hadestown, in London.
The performance itself was fine, but as he trod the boards he was acutely aware that the Cork hurlers were fighting for their lives in the All-Ireland final. Every minute on stage was a minute not watching his county battle for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
“We had a Sunday show. The stage manager knew that I was interested in the game,” says Finn, who grew up in north Co Cork. “They were keeping me updated on the score. Then I’d go down the tunnel, and I had my iPad set up – ‘Three minutes now. I’ll watch this bit.’
“I brought a Cork flag on stage for the bows and then went straight to the dressingroom and caught the last bit of it. I’d say the show was two minutes faster that day.” [x]