As I Lay Dreaming

As I Lay Dreaming is a new play by Ballybofey writer/director Shaun Byrne, commissioned by Donegal County Council as part of the Local Authority Commemorative Programme 2026. The play is centred on Annie McGinley, a Donegal woman, as she reflects on the news of American artist Rockwell Kent’s death in 1971. The artist had spent the summer of 1926 in the area of Gleann Choilm Cille, immersed in the local culture and terrain. Living in a converted cowshed, the charismatic but controversial Kent captured the rugged landscape and its people, eventually persuading a twenty-year-old Annie to pose for a portrait.

The resulting painting sparked a clash between Kent’s modern artistic philosophy and the community’s traditional values. Through Annie’s vivid memories, the play explores the transformative power of art, the passage of time and the enduring connection between an artist and his muse.

Maggie Hannon plays the part of the older Annie McGinley while Aoibhinn O’Doherty plays Annie’s younger self. The part of Rockwell Kent is played by Shaun Byrne.

Shaun Byrne is a writer and director from Ballybofey. This is his fifth play after An Incident with Dave Cotter, Darkness Echoing, Margaret and One Night at Glenlough, which was a highlight of the 2024 Donegal Bay and Blue Stacks Festival.

Supported by The Department of Communications, Culture and Sport through the Local Authority Commemorative Fund 2026.