They murdered Henry Joy
By Peadar Whelan
Henry Joy McCracken
Tuesday night saw the opening of Henry Joy McCracken
the three act play written by Jack Loudan and first
produced for the old Group Theatre in Belfast in 1943.
It deals with the events of 1798, the rebellion in the
North and the arrest, trial and subsequent execution of
McCracken one of the most charismatic of the United
Irishmen.
The play was produced by Roma Tumelty and produced by
Colin Carnegie and saw powerful and convincing
performances by Mark Mulholland as Pollock, the crown
prosecutor, and Michael Fieldhouse as General Steele
Dickson, one of the leaders of the Unitedmen.
Major Fox, played by Gordon Fulton, was, to his fingers
tips, the type of English officer who is convinced that
he will defeat the rebels single-handed and is
determined to see McCracken hanged. At odds with Fox is
Captain Hillary who is sympathetic to the Irish but
then, as now, is still in a minority within the English
establishment, thus ensuring that the 800 year old war
between Britain and Ireland continues.
Unfortunately Henry Joy played by Mark McCrory lacked
the on-stage presence attributed to the real McCracken.
Likewise Mary Ann McCracken played by Sorcha McMahon
was less than the formidable McCracken described in The
Life and Times of Mary Ann McCracken by Mary O'Neill.
However, the character had a presence that at least
left us knowing that Mary Ann was an activist in her
own right.
That said it is good to see the 1798 rebellion being
commemorated in Belfast where to a greater extent the
leadership and role of the Presbyterians in the
struggle for Irish independence has been written out of
so many histories.
Interestingly, or ironically, the play, which came from
the 40's, was very contemporary in that it had all the
ingredients of British policy today: corrupt trials,
executions, touts and collaborators.
The pity of it all is that the play will not be seen in
places like West or North Belfast or Derry and those
other heartlands of nationalism/republicanism unless it
travels. Maybe the people behind the play will make an
attempt.
Competition
Phoblacht has 20 tickets to give away so the first
20 callers to our Falls Road office (phone 600279),
with the correct answer to the question below can have
a night out at the Arts Theatre 41 Botanic Avenue,
Belfast where the play is being staged until Saturday
March 21.
Question
Who was The Man From God Knows Where ?
High praise for Binlids
By Ned Kelly
Following the massive success of Binlids, the
collaboration between JUSTUS community theatre and
Dubbeljoint, five people from across Belfast told us
what the play meant to them.
Arthur Carson
``The play was thoroughly enjoyable. I found the first
act emotionally nostalgic. In terms of dealing with the
more up-to-date stuff, the section dealing with the
death of the two corporals in the second act was
sensitive, as this was a difficult issue to address.
The power of the play came from the fact that it was
ordinary people dealing with real life experience. The
mix between professional and locals added a great deal
to the overall performance.''
Pat Murphy
``I felt the play was a very accurate reflection of the
time covered from internment through. It was very
intense and vivid, very disturbing in a way that
brought back a lot of bad memories. The split staging
and the switching of the audience attention was
impressive. The play avoided preaching, being more a
reflection of ordinary people lives. The fact that it
was no single person's idea or self indulgent was
reflected in its multi-faceted approach. I liked the
contrast between seriousness and humour, I recommend it
for all young people.''
Marie
``It was brilliant overall. The five stages were
completely original. I remembered all of the topics
covered, especially the Springhill massacre that
brought the whole thing back to me. Excellent. The
Gibraltar and Milltown scenes were the hardest part for
me, because I was there. It was the most real. I
remembered waiting in front of the Sinn Féin centre for
the Bobby Sands result. The community involvement was
significant as it meant the play gave a true view;
local people's version of their own experience, giving
it more impact.''
Eliz
``It was very emotional and I learned a lot about the
people involved but I felt it didn't question the view
of people there. The scene where the local women
responded `That's not us, that's not us' to the media
representation of them was excellent as it showed how
misunderstood the people of West Belfast are. The scene
with the `Billy boys' chanting for fenian blood was
just plain frightening, especially powerful in the
present climate where everyone is conscious of the
Loyalists. The [fact that the] play came from the
community added to its authenticity. Those on stage
were telling their own stories, they had actually lived
through it.''
Maurice
``It definitely wasn't light entertainment, it was
powerful and disturbing. It brought a lot of things
back, things you tend to forget or that don't feel like
reality. At the end I was exhausted. The minimalist set
worked brilliantly, the show was brilliant and very
important. It needed to be done. Milltown, the
funerals, the hunger strike, I was there. Maire Drumm
was a close family friend, the lace collar, everything,
I remember it, as my mum had me down at all the
marches. It was great to see it all again as an adult
and get a better understanding of the time. The play
couldn't have been done by anyone else, it was personal
experience, raw emotion. Outsiders wouldn't have been
able to make it so real - everything I saw was real.
I'd be really interested to see a similar project from
the Shankill to see how they saw the same period.''
Dubbeljoint, the company that brought us A Night in
November and, along with Justus, Binlids, launched its
latest production, A Moon for the Misbegotten at the
Beechmount Leisure Centre on Wednesday 11 March. Eugene
O'Neill's masterpiece is a blend of comedy and tragedy
that highlights the vulnerability behind the toughness
and brutality of three lives.
Directed by Simon Magill and featuring John Hewitt,
Billie Traynor and Sean Campion, it will play at
Beechmount for four nights (11-14 March) before
embarking on a nation-wide 7 week tour. Taking in Newry
(Town Hall), Carriglen (Cornmill Theatre), Coleraine
(Riverside Theatre), Ballycastle (Sheskburn Recreation
Centre), Strabane (Melmount Centre), Cootehill (Drumlin
Hse), Armagh (St Patrick's Hall), Westport (Town Hall)
and Ballinsloe.
Contact Vincent on 01232 202-222 for more details.
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