A recording of a successful stage play about road racing will be seen for the first time during the TT.

‘The Safety Catch’ toured successfully in Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2023, including a sell-out run at the Lyric in Belfast.

The play imagines a moment in time before the 2019 TT as, in a dialogue with Liam Beckett, his late father’s best friend and mechanic, Michael Dunlop decides whether to race or not.

Written in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, the characters weigh the obvious mortal danger of road racing against Michael’s dedication to a sport that for him, and many others, makes life ‘larger than we can dream of’.

Writer Nick Snow said: ‘A conversation in late 2018 about the death of William Dunlop made me think about all the glory and the tragedy of the Dunlop story intertwined with the profound drama of road racing.

‘Add in the theme of everyone’s recalculation of their own risk versus reward profile in the pandemic, and I had to try and bring it to the stage.’

The play and the film are directed by Joe O’Byrne, best known for his renowned productions including ‘The Woman Who Walked into Doors’ and ‘Frank Pig says Hello!’.

In 2024, the producers shot a film version at its originating theatre in Manorhamilton, with this film now being shown at both the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin and the Studio Theatre at Ballakermeen school in Douglas over TT week.

A total of 17 screenings will take place at both venues between Monday, May 26 and Thursday, June 5.