“The O'Neill”, Thomas Kilroy's first stage play, was written
in 1966. It dramatizes the fate of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (c.1540-1616),
whose defeat by the English at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 led to the final
dissolution of the ancient Irish order of government and the Plantation of
Ulster. The Thomas Kilroy Archive is one of our featured collections here at
the James Hardiman Library. The archive of Thomas Kilroy, held here at the
James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway, features numerous drafts and version of the
play, a French translation of the play, correspondence between Tom Kilroy and
numerous individuals concerning the play including Ernest Blythe, Tomas McAnna,
Cyril Cusack, Hilton Edwards and Kilroy’s agent Margaret Ramsay.
“The O’Neill”, Kilroy’s first play and still considered by
many to be one of his best and also one of the most important in Irish theatre
with its themes of Anglo-Irish relations under the main focus of Kilroy’s
attention. 'What call had you coming here
thinking to change us? We have our ways, our laws, and our language, the same
as the English have, and we're proud of them . . .'
A review of the original production, published in the Irish Independent, 31 May 1969, from Desmond
Ryan is included below.
A feature interview with Tom Kilroy marking the occasion of
the completing of the cataloguing of his archive is available on the James
Hardiman Library website here
The full descriptive list of the Kilroy archive is available
here
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