Almost Home – Bewley’s Cafe Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

Almost Home – written by Barry McKinley
Dates: September 29th – October 18th, 2025

The backdrop to the stage is a blue sea. It looks benign, with gentle waves rolling safely to the shore, reflecting a blue sky and light clouds. But the sea has represented the biggest challenge to Ali (Randy Guine) in his life. He is thirty-four years old and has spent half of his life in Ireland, mostly in Dublin. He came to Ireland by sea with four Libyans and two Chinese in a container seventeen years ago. As he says, he is half Irish, but he is now being escorted by two private contractors to Rosslare to be deported by sea and train to Morocco, from where he came.

Ali is thoughtful, observant and articulate. He has held many menial jobs during his stay in Ireland, but has managed to integrate himself into Irish life using his charm and good looks. He has observed how critical migrants are in Ireland in various fields, but in particular in providing medical services. He can see the contradictions. He does not want to return to Morocco for a variety of reasons, not least because of the disappointment it will bring his family, who suffered to raise the money to pay the smugglers to get him out of Morocco all those years ago. He also faces the likely prospect of jail. He will try anything not to return.

Guine is ideal for the part as he originates from the Cameroons and speaks English with a slight French accent. He is tall and handsome and has an engaging smile. With these attributes, it is easy to understand how Ali has not only survived in Ireland but thrived and has even come to appreciate the rain. Ali finds the comic in various encounters and is quick to spot inconsistencies in society’s attitudes to immigrants. He makes you think.

This play provides a valuable counterpoint to the slogan “Ireland is full”, which does itself make a brief appearance. “Home” is a matter of chance initially determined by where you are born. For some, that chance gave them a bad hand for a variety of reasons from the very start. Ali’s bad hand is that he does not fit into the mores of Morocco. In Ireland, he was “almost home”, but he is now being deported to the home he was given by chance by his birth, into which he does not fit. This is a play which is laced with humour and faces some of the difficult issues that immigration gives rise to in the case of an individual. It gives an interesting insight into a perspective rarely heard.

CAST AND CREW​

WRITTEN BY: Barry McKinley

DIRECTED BY: Bairbre Ní Chaoimh

PERFORMED BY: Randy Guine

LIGHTING DESIGN: Colm Maher

SET DESIGN: Martin Cahill

SOUND DESIGN: Ewan Cowley

STAGE MANAGER: Jasper Cahill

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Gavin Doyle

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