An Triail
Encyclopedia
An Triail is a play written by the Irish playwright Máiréad Ní Ghráda
which starred well known poet and Sean-nós
singer Caitlín Maude
in its first performance in 1964. The play was first broadcast on RTÉ
radio in 1965.
The play is written entirely in the Irish language
and is on the curriculum for the Leaving Certificate
examinations for the period 2006 - 2011.
during the 1960s and deals with the pregnancy, and subsequent single motherhood, of a young woman. She is shunned by her family after becoming impregnated by the local primary school teacher, a married man, and must leave her parish and move to the city. Here she is once again marginalised, first as a pregnant woman and then as a single mother. An encounter with the child's father, where he further rejects her and his child, only serves to make matters worse and the girl takes her own life in a similar way to poet Sylvia Plath
, as well as that of her child. Notes for the Leaving Certificate can accessed at http://skoool.ie/skoool/senior.asp?id=691
It often goes back and forth between "flashbacks" (memories of Maire, the heroine) and the trial. At the beginning, Maire's mother is introduced, and proceeds to state she is a god-fearing woman who has done nothing wrong. Throughout the play, this is typical of most characters.
She is the heroine of the play. Her key flaw is her loyalty. She is very sheltered and naive due to her upbringing.
At the young age of 14-15, she falls in love with Pàdraig, a school teacher, at a dance. Maire was raised with no knowledge of men and the like, as her mother raised her to be only a nun. She was only allowed to enter dances due to the priest being there. During the play, Maires love for Padraig never falters. Proof of this is seen how, even after his betrayal throughout the flashbacks, she never breaks her promises to "Never to mention [his] name", "Never to write to [him]" and to "Never tell anyone about [him]", save in one of the final flashbacks, where she is writing to him. When she becomes pregnant, she is thrown out by her mother, and goes to Dublin, where she lives with Mailì, a prostitute. Throughout the flashbacks in which she and Pàdraig meet, she is constantly told that he loves her, and would marry her, if he was not married. Hence, when she finds out from a friend, a year later, that his wife died a month after she was thrown out, Maire has an emotional breakdown, and writes her letter to him, thinking it alright, since Pàdraigs wife is dead.
Pàdraig
The school teacher to be held responsible for Maire`s pregnancy. During their meetings and even when they met at the dance, he is constantly teasing and testing her, manipulating her, making her feel pity for her while enticing her all the more. He declares her his wife at the end of a certain scene, although stating beforehand he could not marry her because his own wife, Mura, is ill but alive.
Máiréad Ní Ghráda
Máiréad Ní Ghráda , was an Irish poet, playwright, and broadcaster born in Kilmaley, Co. Clare.Ní Ghráda's father James O'Grady was a farmer, local county councilor and a native speaker of Irish and it is thought it was from him Máiréad got her love for the Irish language.Ní Ghráda was jailed in...
which starred well known poet and Sean-nós
Sean-nós song
Sean-nós is a highly ornamented style of unaccompanied traditional Irish singing. It is a sean-nós activity, which also includes sean-nós dancing...
singer Caitlín Maude
Caitlín Maude
Caitlín Maude was an Irish poet, actress and traditional singer.She was born in Casla, County Galway, and reared in the Gaelic language. Her mother was also a school teacher from Casla. Caitlín's father, John Maude, was from Cill Bhriocáin in Ros Muc. Her mother worked as a teacher on a small...
in its first performance in 1964. The play was first broadcast on RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
radio in 1965.
The play is written entirely in the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and is on the curriculum for the Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
examinations for the period 2006 - 2011.
Plot summary
The play is set in the West of IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
during the 1960s and deals with the pregnancy, and subsequent single motherhood, of a young woman. She is shunned by her family after becoming impregnated by the local primary school teacher, a married man, and must leave her parish and move to the city. Here she is once again marginalised, first as a pregnant woman and then as a single mother. An encounter with the child's father, where he further rejects her and his child, only serves to make matters worse and the girl takes her own life in a similar way to poet Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer...
, as well as that of her child. Notes for the Leaving Certificate can accessed at http://skoool.ie/skoool/senior.asp?id=691
It often goes back and forth between "flashbacks" (memories of Maire, the heroine) and the trial. At the beginning, Maire's mother is introduced, and proceeds to state she is a god-fearing woman who has done nothing wrong. Throughout the play, this is typical of most characters.
Main Characters
MaireShe is the heroine of the play. Her key flaw is her loyalty. She is very sheltered and naive due to her upbringing.
At the young age of 14-15, she falls in love with Pàdraig, a school teacher, at a dance. Maire was raised with no knowledge of men and the like, as her mother raised her to be only a nun. She was only allowed to enter dances due to the priest being there. During the play, Maires love for Padraig never falters. Proof of this is seen how, even after his betrayal throughout the flashbacks, she never breaks her promises to "Never to mention [his] name", "Never to write to [him]" and to "Never tell anyone about [him]", save in one of the final flashbacks, where she is writing to him. When she becomes pregnant, she is thrown out by her mother, and goes to Dublin, where she lives with Mailì, a prostitute. Throughout the flashbacks in which she and Pàdraig meet, she is constantly told that he loves her, and would marry her, if he was not married. Hence, when she finds out from a friend, a year later, that his wife died a month after she was thrown out, Maire has an emotional breakdown, and writes her letter to him, thinking it alright, since Pàdraigs wife is dead.
Pàdraig
The school teacher to be held responsible for Maire`s pregnancy. During their meetings and even when they met at the dance, he is constantly teasing and testing her, manipulating her, making her feel pity for her while enticing her all the more. He declares her his wife at the end of a certain scene, although stating beforehand he could not marry her because his own wife, Mura, is ill but alive.