It could be because it's in walking distance from the major Dublin theatres or that the warren of streets in and around Phibsboro are lined with houses brimming with character, but whatever the reason this north Residents include actors Fionnuala Murphy and Pat Kinevane, who has written two plays for the Fishamble Theatre Company. Gavin Kostick, literary editor of Fishamble Theatre Company, is another Phibsboro neighbour.
Jim Culleton is artistic director of the Fishamble company, which specialises in staging the work of new playwrights. He arranged and edited the script of Maeve Binchy's play Wired to the Moon, which is currently showing at Andrew's Lane theatre after a "landslide" nationwide tour.
Jim met Clodagh at the National Youth Theatre and Trinity College, where Clodagh studied law and Jim took a degree in drama. After graduation, the law books were set aside and Clodagh enjoyed a successful acting career before the birth of Daniel, who is now two-and-a-half and admirably articulate.
Jim and Clodagh have also edited Contemporary Irish Monologues, a book of audition pieces, which is now on the reading list at a number of drama schools. Clodagh has a job in publishing which allows her to work from home. "We converted a small bedroom into an office and Jim looks after Daniel downstairs while I work," she says. She has a part in Alan Ayckbourn's How the Other Half Loves, which opens at Andrew's Lane theatre on August 13th.
They sold their first house - in Stoneybatter- for £150,000 and paid £240,000 for the three bedroomed house in Phibsboro. Tucked behind the shopping centre and well away from the traffic, there is a garden for David t opaly in and Jim can walk to Fishamble's Temple Bar Office. "We really love it here. It's close to work in Eustace St and I don't have to get inot traffic and parking" says Jim. " We could afford to buy seven years ago. We paid £40,000 for the two up, two-down in Stoneybatter and we loved it there. We were lucky to have something to sell".
Morrtgages were not easy to comy by a few years ago for anyone who worked in the precarious world of theatre. Clodagh and Jim had difficulty getting a loan for the first house but the second transaction was trouble-free. Nowadats the most stable jobs are under contract and people chop and change jobs more"- according to Jim.
Like many of Phibsboro's popular red-bricks, the late Victorian features in the Culleton's house are in perfect condition. They chose the colour scheme to match the rich red and yellow hues of the stained glass panel in the front door.
The hall was painted deep red with white below the dado rail. They hardly had to touch the sittingroom, which has stripped pine doors, a polished wood floor and terracotta walls. The cube-shaped diningroom at the back of the original house has had a dramatic revamp, with a burgundy and purple colour theme and a very fine marble and tile fireplace.
At the back, the bright kitchen - a fairly recent addition - was left as it was.
"We moved in at the end of 1999 and most of the work was already done," says Jim. "The kitchen extension was built and there were new sash windows and central heating.
"Everyone lives very close in Phibsboro, so we can keep an eye on each other's houses. We're very lucky to be in flexible jobs. Both our parents live in Dublin, so they help to mind Daniel. I grew up in Glasnevin and I've never strayed too far from the northside".
Most budding playwrights who submit their work to Fishamble are relative newcomers to the task, with inevitably, a fair smattering of actors submitting plays for approval. Occasionally, established writers and novelists are approached. Joe O'Connor wrote his first play for the company and Jim O'Hanlon, the ex-UCD Dramsoc member who writes scripts for Coronation Street, has also written a play.
Wired to the moon is set to run for at least another week at Andrews Lane. For Jim and the Fishamble crew, worknig with Maeve Binchy wasa very pleasant experience. "She was very generous with her time and very supportive. When Maeve first came to see us at rehearsals, for the first time, we were all nervous wrecks!".
Daniel has not yet been to the theatre, says Jim, but "very soon" he will be able to appreciate it. "We enjoy our evenings at home and lately we've been a little behind on going to the theatre. I always go to the early viewings of the play and I pop in once a week to make sure all is going well. It usually is."
