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theatre · Thursday 1 October 2026 · 8:00pm 
The Man Who Swallowed a Dictionary
At The Burnavon · Burn Road, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone BT80 8DN
At The Burnavon · Burn Road, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone BT80 8DN
Green Shoot Productions brings The Man Who Swallowed a Dictionary, a one-man drama on the life of loyalist politician David Ervine, to The Burnavon in Cookstown on Thursday, 1 October 2026. Written by Robert Niblock with Martin Lynch and Matthew McElhinney, the play looks at how conflict, education, conviction and language shaped Ervine’s journey from paramilitary prisoner to Stormont politician known for his sharp, self-taught vocabulary.
The production traces Ervine’s reputation as an unusually articulate voice to emerge from loyalism, a man who read widely in prison and went on to become a leading figure in the Progressive Unionist Party and the peace process. It sets his personal story against the wider backdrop of the Troubles and the years of negotiation that followed, addressing themes of identity, class and the possibility of change without simplifying the politics involved. Green Shoot Productions has built a reputation on this kind of testimony-based political theatre, staging work that treats recent Northern Ireland history as material for serious drama rather than nostalgia. As a one-man show, the piece relies on a single performer to carry Ervine’s voice and the people around him across the full span of his life. The subject matter and language mean the show carries an age guidance of 14 and over.
The Burnavon is on Burn Road in Cookstown town centre, with a free public car park next to the venue.
Cookstown’s wide main street has restaurants and bars within easy reach of The Burnavon for a meal before the show. There is more to see across Co. Tyrone.
Heading to The Burnavon in Cookstown? Tyrone has plenty more to see. Read the Cookstown area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for The Burnavon? These Dublin tours book out in summer.