Show Notes
Mairead (50s) is thinking of applying for promotion whenever her manager Helen retires. She asks for Helen’s opinion on the matter, confiding in her boss that she’s autistic. Mairead is taken aback when Helen calls her ‘brave’ and ponders why disclosing her neurology should be seen that way.
Through Mairead’s story, our author Maura Campbell explores “why it might be seen as ‘brave’ to apply a word that’s generally represented as something very different in popular culture – usually a young, white guy with savant skills. Autism often looks very different in women and girls, which is why historically we’ve flown under the radar. A lost generation of autistic women are only now discovering their true selves, either because they’ve reached a crisis point in their lives or, like me, their kids have been through the assessment process. Autism tends to be viewed solely as a list of deficits to be ‘treated’, or even as an ‘illness’ to be ‘cured’. Ableist attitudes and the stigmatisation of disability cause people to think it odd that you wouldn’t just want to keep your head down and continue trying to blend in (no matter the cost to your mental health). The story also highlights how there could be real-life consequences as a result of being openly autistic. People do see you differently. It could affect your career progression or mean your opinions are taken less seriously when you speak up at that important meeting. Many autistics choose not to disclose, or in some cases decide not to seek professional identification at all, for this reason. Although the story seeks to make a serious point, it does so with splashes of comedy since the autism myth I most want to smash is the one about us being humourless automatons! We also get a flavour of the little routines and rituals that get Mairead through the day. And there’s a cat.’
Written by Maura Campbell
Mairead played by Mary McNamara
Directed by Declan Cahill
Sound recording and design by Neil Farrelly
Script consultancy by Clare Monnelly
Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee. The author wishes to thank Hot Coals Productions for their development support.
More from drama on near
Jammie Dodgers by Ciara Gillan is a workplace comedy set in Berlin about a group of office temps from various countries (Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, the U.S.) who are determined to do as little work as possible, outsmart their manipulative boss, delay adult responsibility and not sleep with each other. They fail on all counts. Jammie Dodgers is a show that explores that time in your early twenties when, despite your best efforts, you start becoming an adult and making the choices that will determine your future.
Jammie Dodgers by Ciara Gillan is a workplace comedy set in Berlin about a group of office temps from various countries (Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, the U.S.) who are determined to do as little work as possible, outsmart their manipulative boss, delay adult responsibility and not sleep with each other. They fail on all counts. Jammie Dodgers is a show that explores that time in your early twenties when, despite your best efforts, you start becoming an adult and making the choices that will determine your future.
Written by Eamon Somers, produced and directed by Berni Dwan, with audio production by Declan McGlade, A Quarter of Broken Biscuits captures a snapshot of life in Dublin’s Liberties in the 1960s. With the main action emanating from a local grocery shop, the characters grapple with two main issues – the age-old housing crisis, and the nascent realization that homosexuality does indeed exist. The backdrop of emigration and displacement adds a sense of urgency to these questions of social justice in a modest and homogenous Irish community.
All The Way to Mars and Back by Eddie Naughton Directed by Anna Nugent