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


An 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.