![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/RXHDSMKKD5CTPONBRY7IOFNVHY.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"‘Local](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2M77PRQ3PFGZ3HZBU22ZX3HNOQ.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI spoke to my coach in the gym and boxers like Tyrone McKenna, who has retired a number of times and come back,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always wondered what brings them back. Why do they retire and then step back in the ring? Where does that need or desire come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/72L4TGRFJNDGDMU5MQXVWT5FWA.jpeg\")
Cathal J Ferris says conversations with fighters including boxer Tyrone McKenna helped inspire The Cornerman, a new drama exploring men’s mental health. <\/p>\n
Ferris\u2019s interest in boxing stretches back years. While living in London, he attended one of McKenna\u2019s fights after spotting the Belfast boxer\u2019s name on a poster while feeling homesick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the Irish flag and thought, that\u2019s a boy from home,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually Instagrammed Tyrone and told him my situation and he sent me a ticket straight away. He\u2019s an absolutely beautiful man.\u201d<\/p>\n
The playwright later stepped into the ring himself and has since competed in four amateur bouts, including a draw against a former All-Ireland champion.<\/p>\n
If you want to feel better, go to a boxing gym. Meet the community there, learn, listen and put everything you\u2019re feeling in that moment into a boxing bag<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0Cathal J Ferris <\/p>\n
He said the experience helped deepen his understanding of both the physical demands of the sport and the strong sense of community that exists within many local clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key message is that those boxing gyms are a beautiful community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Read more: \u2018Belfast is very pro-Palestine\u2019 \u2013 Tyrone McKenna says local boxing community \u2018jumped\u2019 at chance to welcome West Bank boxers to city<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to feel better, go to a boxing gym. Meet the community there, learn, listen and put everything you\u2019re feeling in that moment into a boxing bag.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the stereotypical macho environment some people think it is. Coaches always tell you their first job is to look after their fighter. It\u2019s not to teach you how to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n While boxing provides the backdrop for The Cornerman, Ferris said the themes explored in the play extend far beyond the sport itself.<\/p>\n Central to the story is the question of identity and how people cope when a role that has defined them for years suddenly disappears.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen fighting is all you know, what\u2019s left when you stop? I think that\u2019s the real question,\u201d Ferris said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Liam, boxing is more than a sport – it is the thing that has shaped his life, his routine and his sense of self – but that experience could apply to anyone in any field.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIf you got let go tomorrow, what would you do? Would you go and find another job in the same thing or would you try something new?<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you were there and now you\u2019re not there anymore. How do you regulate your emotions and be okay with that?\u201d<\/p>\n That struggle forms part of a wider exploration of mental health and the tendency for many to suffer in silence.<\/p>\n Ferris said he wanted to challenge what he described as a long-standing \u201csay nothing\u201d mentality that has often discouraged men, in particular, from talking openly about their feelings.<\/p>\n Read more: How a Belfast community used theatre to heal, unite, and inspire<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the lines in this is don\u2019t say nothing, say something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe say nothing, the man up, the just carry on mentality is a huge part of this.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause generally men don\u2019t talk about our feelings, which I think is potentially a generational thing that we\u2019ve maybe learned through our dads and their dads as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Those ideas are reflected in the relationship between Liam and his coach, Marty.<\/p>\n Ferris said the character represents a different approach to masculinity and resilience, having already come to terms with life after boxing.<\/p>\n \u201cUnlike Liam, Marty is comfortable with the choices he has made and now focuses on helping the next generation,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to train the next fighter, but he also wants to educate the new fighters coming through and help them learn how to be good men rather than just good boxers.\u201d <\/p>\n Although the play tackles serious themes, audiences can also expect humour throughout, drawing on the dry wit and familiar Belfast characters Ferris believes are central to the city\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n \u201cBelfast is a character in this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think our sense of humour and that whole \u2018sure if you didn\u2019t laugh you\u2019d cry\u2019 mentality is so special and unique to us and that definitely bleeds into the play.\u201d<\/p>\n The production came about after Ferris attended a discussion on the challenges facing Northern Ireland\u2019s arts sector and began exploring ways to bring the boxing-themed play he had been developing to the stage.<\/p>\n![\"Tyrone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DKNEEG2CPFDWXFR3D4XUOLKICA.jpg\")
Tyrone McKenna beat battling Dylan Moran at Windsor Park. Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing (Mark Robinson\/Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing) <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7VRKCSBNRZHURO4XRT5LRRKA4A.jpeg\")
The Cornerman follows fictional world champion boxer Liam Casey as he struggles to come to terms with life after retirement from the sport. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CZQ34CDJWFDFZMGTZEWQ6XPR3U.jpeg\")
Belfast playwright Cathal J Ferris believes boxing gyms offer a strong sense of community and support, themes reflected throughout The Cornerman. <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MXA6MB2REBB2FOP6LFKF6BFEBM.jpeg\")
Cathal J Ferris will also take on the lead role of Liam Casey in The Cornerman when the production opens at Theatre at the Mill. <\/p>\n