In 2008 a troupe of seasoned players set off on the most ambitious theatrical tour of Ireland ever undertaken. Stephen Brennan, Alan Stanford, Barry McGovern and Johnny Murphy had first performed Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the Gate Theatre in 1988 and reprised their roles many times since. For this 20th anniversary tour the play would be performed in 40 venues in 32 counties across Ireland.

David Blake Knox’s film for RTÉ reveals the physical demands, the boredom, the laughter and the friendship that sustains the players across the thousands of miles and many weeks on the road. The tour was to be Johnny Murphy’s swansong.

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn