In conversation with Joe O'Byrne

We spoke to Joe O'Byrne, the writer and performer of the Tales from Paradise Heights series, ahead of his performance of the latest tale in the series - I'm Frank Morgan Rewired.

For those new to the Tales from Paradise Heights universe, how would you describe the atmosphere of this world?

Paradise Heights is a fishing town and run down resort in the storm-lashed, costal North West. The fishing industry has all but died, and modern life is a struggle, but the people here face up to that struggle every day. There is heart, laughter, soul, and humanity here like in any town, but it's also a place where ancient superstition clings like salt to the skin.

Some say there is an ancient evil here as old as the grey cliffs of Widow’s Leap; it’s in the air, the sea, the soil. There is something strange here, uncanny. It’s a darkness nibbling at the edges, a darkness stretching back centuries to a time of witchcraft. It’s a haunted place. It’s a place where the seaside urban meets the supernatural, and a community shrouded in ghostly noir.

At the centre of all of these tales is Frank Morgan - crime kingpin, loan shark, and proprietor of The Ace of Spades club; the centre of this dark web of tales loaded with atmosphere, danger and menace. Frank appears in several productions as a living force; in others his reputation and shadow fall across the stage. There is something reptilian and devilish about his dark charm: magnetic, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. Some say he is the Devil himself.

The stories have built a real army of fans now and are described by critics as 'Stephen King meet Jimmy McGovern' or 'A Canterbury Tales for Today'. The thin line between comedy and tragedy is shot through the community in these tales. They are very immersive, with incredible talents behind the scenes that create rich soundscapes and original music scores from the ground up. This is very much a venture of collaboration, creating tales people will never forget. It is very much an expanding universe as more tales are in development and there are plans to bring the tales to cinema and TV. 

You’ve been building the world of Paradise Heights for 25 years. What was the original inspiration for the lives of these interconnected characters?

The original inspiration was from my own background. I come from the fabric of a struggling working-class community, deeply embedded in the struggles of a working class life plagued by crime, but also shot through with the love and soul within that community. As much as these are genre tales, it’s the people themselves, the characters, that these tales are really about, the decisions they make - strong or terrible - that shape them. These characters are eclectic and unforgettable, played by incredibly talented actors who portray the real depth and problems, emotions, triumphs and despair that we all deal with on a daily basis, real people. I wanted to bring together tales of such people, but to also inject some fantasy into that world. I’ve always been drawn to ghost stories since sitting in front of my grandparents’ open fire on their farm in Ireland. I like stories of banshees and ghosts, flavours of the strange and unexplainable, the supernatural. I very much wanted to create a community on the border of both those worlds.

Who is Frank Morgan, and what kind of night is the audience in for at his Ace of Spades club? 

It all started with the character of Frank Morgan. We know he’s from Ireland, some say the north but there are dark links to the south. He is as cloaked in superstition and danger as much as the community itself. A man of dark influence, power, intellect, and crushing violence. He’s woven a tangled web through the Heights, built an empire, burned all those in his way - sometimes quite literally. In spite of all of that, some of the community look upon him as the first emergency service, his iron like grip going where the forces of law have little impact.  

 We meet Frank at a very pivotal point in his life. Something has happened, he’s wounded, feverish, out of control and dangerously unpredictable. You are barricaded in his club with him and we know something terrible is coming.

Do I need to have seen the other plays in the series to enjoy this one?

No, you don’t have to have seen the other tales in the series, you can start with any of them. They are written that way as I always wanted to appeal to the newbie to Tales from Paradise Heights, so you can jump on board at any point. That said, the more stories you see, the more you see the links to the other tales in the series.

If you had to describe the show in just three words, what would they be? 

Dark. Gothic. Nightmare. 

I'm Frank Morgan Rewired plays at the Pavilion Arts Centre on Sun 8 Feb, 7.30pm.