The Colleen Bawn
Encyclopedia
The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen is a melodrama
tic play
written by Irish
playwright
Dion Boucicault
. It was first performed at Miss Laura Keene's Theatre
, New York
, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicault playing Myles na Coppaleen. It was most recently performed in Dublin at the Project Arts Centre
in July and August 2010. Several film versions have also been made.
, The Collegians. In the novel, Eily O'Connor actually was murdered by Danny Mann, who was hanged while Hardress Cregan was exiled.
The novel was based on the true story of Ellen Scanlan (née Hanley), a fifteen-year-old girl who was murdered on 14 July 1819. She was recently married to John Scanlan, but when he saw that she would not be accepted into his family he persuaded his servant, Stephen Sullivan, to kill her. Sullivan took her out on the River Shannon
near Kilrush
, County Clare
where he killed her with a musket
, stripped her and dumped her body in the river, tied to a stone. Her body was washed ashore six weeks later at Moneypoint
. Both men had fled but Scanlan was found first and arrested for murder. At his trial he was defended by the famous barrister Daniel O'Connell
. He was found guilty and hanged at Gallows Green, the place of execution at the Clare side of the Shannon. Sullivan was apprehended shortly afterwards, confessed and was also hanged. The Colleen Bawn (1803 - 1819)
in the 1790s. Hardress Cregan and his mother have fallen on hard times. His mother tries to persuade Hardress to marry the wealthy Anne Chute. He agrees, although he is already secretly married to Eily O'Connor, a beautiful fair-haired girl who has many admirers including the roguish Myles na Coppaleen. Anne, seeing Hardress with Eily one night, mistakes him for Eily's lover, Kyrle Daly, and, angry at Kyrle, she agrees to marry Hardress. Hardress's servant, the hunchback Danny Mann, offers to murder Eily so that Hardress will be free to marry Anne. Thinking that Hardress has agreed, he takes Eily to the lake where he attempts to drown her, but he is discovered and shot by Myles-na-Coppaleen. At the wedding of Hardress and Anne the police come to arrest Hardress for the murder of Eily, but before he is taken away Eily appears. Hardress is released, Eily is accepted by Mrs Cregan, Anne and Kyrle are reconciled and Anne offers to pay off the Cregans' debt.
composed his opera The Lily of Killarney
from a text provided by Boucicault and John Oxenford
based on The Colleen Bawn. It opened at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden, on 8 February 1862 and remained a highly regarded and popular opera throughout the Victorian era. In Kobbé's Complete Opera Book
, first published in 1922, it still merited a full summary of the plot, which remains in the current edition.
, and an Australian one directed by Gaston Mervale
.
In 1924, a British edition was made
, directed by W.P. Kellino
.
In 1929 the play was made into a film, Lily of Killarney directed by George Ridgwell
.
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
tic play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written by Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Dion Boucicault
Dion Boucicault
Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot , commonly known as Dion Boucicault, was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the...
. It was first performed at Miss Laura Keene's Theatre
Laura Keene
Laura Keene was a British-born American stage actress and manager. In her twenty-year career, she became known as the first powerful female manager in New York.-Early life:...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicault playing Myles na Coppaleen. It was most recently performed in Dublin at the Project Arts Centre
Project Arts Centre
Project Arts Centre is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Dublin's Temple Bar that showcases cutting-edge visual art and performance....
in July and August 2010. Several film versions have also been made.
Origins
The play was based on Gerald Griffin's novelNovel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, The Collegians. In the novel, Eily O'Connor actually was murdered by Danny Mann, who was hanged while Hardress Cregan was exiled.
The novel was based on the true story of Ellen Scanlan (née Hanley), a fifteen-year-old girl who was murdered on 14 July 1819. She was recently married to John Scanlan, but when he saw that she would not be accepted into his family he persuaded his servant, Stephen Sullivan, to kill her. Sullivan took her out on the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
near Kilrush
Kilrush
Kilrush is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. Kilrush is a town of great historical significance, being one of the listed Heritage Towns of Ireland.-History:...
, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
where he killed her with a musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
, stripped her and dumped her body in the river, tied to a stone. Her body was washed ashore six weeks later at Moneypoint
Moneypoint
Moneypoint is Ireland's largest electricity generation station and only coal-fired power station. It is located on the River Shannon near Kilrush, County Clare and was constructed at a cost of more than £700m, in one of the largest capital projects in the history of the Republic of Ireland...
. Both men had fled but Scanlan was found first and arrested for murder. At his trial he was defended by the famous barrister Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
. He was found guilty and hanged at Gallows Green, the place of execution at the Clare side of the Shannon. Sullivan was apprehended shortly afterwards, confessed and was also hanged. The Colleen Bawn (1803 - 1819)
Characters
- Hardress Cregan — Irish landowner fallen on hard times.
- Myles na Coppaleen (from the IrishIrish languageIrish , 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...
Myles na gcapaillín, "Myles of the ponies") — poacher and moonshineMoonshineMoonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
brewer. - Danny Mann — a hunchback and very loyal servant to Hardress.
- Father Tom — alcoholic Roman Catholic priest.
- Kyrle Daly — a servant of the Cregans, in love with Anne.
- Mr Corrigan — villainous local magistrateMagistrateA magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
who aims to seize the Cregan estate. - Eily O'Connor, the "Colleen Bawn" (from the IrishIrish languageIrish , 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...
cailín bán, "fair girl") — A common girl, Hardress's secret wife. - Anne Chute, the "Colleen Ruaidh" (from the IrishIrish languageIrish , 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...
cailín rua, "red-haired girl") — wealthy heiress. - Mrs Cregan — Mother of Hardress.
Plot
The play is set in rural County KerryCounty Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
in the 1790s. Hardress Cregan and his mother have fallen on hard times. His mother tries to persuade Hardress to marry the wealthy Anne Chute. He agrees, although he is already secretly married to Eily O'Connor, a beautiful fair-haired girl who has many admirers including the roguish Myles na Coppaleen. Anne, seeing Hardress with Eily one night, mistakes him for Eily's lover, Kyrle Daly, and, angry at Kyrle, she agrees to marry Hardress. Hardress's servant, the hunchback Danny Mann, offers to murder Eily so that Hardress will be free to marry Anne. Thinking that Hardress has agreed, he takes Eily to the lake where he attempts to drown her, but he is discovered and shot by Myles-na-Coppaleen. At the wedding of Hardress and Anne the police come to arrest Hardress for the murder of Eily, but before he is taken away Eily appears. Hardress is released, Eily is accepted by Mrs Cregan, Anne and Kyrle are reconciled and Anne offers to pay off the Cregans' debt.
Opera
Sir Julius BenedictJulius Benedict
Sir Julius Benedict was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.-Life:...
composed his opera The Lily of Killarney
The Lily of Killarney
The Lily of Killarney is an opera in three acts by Julius Benedict. The libretto, by John Oxenford and Dion Boucicault, is based on Boucicault's own play The Colleen Bawn. The opera received its premiere at Covent Garden Theatre, London on Monday 10 February 1862.-Background:The Lily of Killarney...
from a text provided by Boucicault and John Oxenford
John Oxenford
John Oxenford , English dramatist, was born at Camberwell, London, England.-Life:He began his literary career by writing on finance...
based on The Colleen Bawn. It opened at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden, on 8 February 1862 and remained a highly regarded and popular opera throughout the Victorian era. In Kobbé's Complete Opera Book
The Complete Opera Book
The Complete Opera Book is a guide to operas by American music critic and author Gustav Kobbé first published in the United States in 1919 and the United Kingdom in 1922...
, first published in 1922, it still merited a full summary of the plot, which remains in the current edition.
Film
In 1911 the play was adapted into two films: an American version directed by Sidney OlcottSidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.-Biography:Born John Sidney Alcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business...
, and an Australian one directed by Gaston Mervale
Gaston Mervale
Gaston Mervale was an Australian director and actor who worked extensively on stage and in films.-Select Filmography as Director:*One Hundred Years Ago *A Ticket in Tatts *The Colleen Bawn...
.
In 1924, a British edition was made
The Colleen Bawn (1924 film)
The Colleen Bawn is a 1924 British silent drama film directed by W.P. Kellino and starring Henry Victor, Colette Brettel and Stewart Rome. It is an adaptation of the 1860 Irish play The Colleen Bawn by Dion Boucicault.-Cast:...
, directed by W.P. Kellino
W.P. Kellino
William Philip Kellino Gislingham was a British film director. He was the father of the cinematographer Roy Kellino.-Selected filmography:* The Autumn of Pride...
.
In 1929 the play was made into a film, Lily of Killarney directed by George Ridgwell
George Ridgwell
George Ridgwell was a British screenwriter and film director of the silent film era. His name was sometimes spelt as George Ridgewell. He was born in Woolwich in 1867. He directed around 70 films including a series of adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories featuring Eille Norwood as Holmes. His...
.