by Sean Hillen

An innovative drama project linking five different Irish theatres kicked-off this week with two performances at Amharclann in Donegal.

Supported by the International Fund for Ireland’s Communities in Partnerships Programme (CIPP), the project is a co-production between Amharclann in Bunbeg in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht and the Waterside Theatre and Arts Centre in Derry of the play ‘‘Observe The Sons Of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme’ by Donegal-born playwright Frank McGuinness.

This thought-provoking play, coincidentally hosted at the Amharclann on the same day as the United Nations International Day Of Peace, focuses on the experiences of a group of Ulstermen in the trenches of World War One who take part in the battle of the Somme. While a military setting, the play raises many themes including homosexuality, homophobia, the inner conflict of self-respect, bravery, patriotism, friendship and sacrifice. 

Enjoying the play, one is left with a vexing question: Is the play about the futility of war? The nature of loyalty, friendship and heroism? Or an examination of the protracted Protestant-Catholic northern Irish conflict from a completely different perspective? Or all of the above?

Whichever it is, this production is a two-hour, richly-rewarding theatrical experience that offers a balanced mix of black humour and poignancy with credible characters well developed through very fine acting.

Director David Grant together with production and stage manger, Fiona Harkin, assistant director, Ronan Hamill, lightning designer JP Conaghan and composer, Rebecca Doherty and the rest of the team have re-created the moving story of ordinary men – among them a blacksmith, a weaver and a baker – who set off patriotically to fight ‘the Hun’ but become disillusioned with the myth about war they’ve been sold.  

The play opens with a crippled man, Old Pyper, played by Shaun Byrne, who steps on stage alone, war medals pinned to his chest, and calls forth the ghosts of his former comrades who were all killed. Mystified as to how he survived the terrible battle, he is haunted by the images of those who died in the trenches, who then slowly, phantom-like, emerge from the shadows at the edges of the stage and stand motionless.

This sets the scene as to what follows, nostalgic flashbacks to the barracks where the men from places such as Derry, Armagh, Coleraine, Enniskillen and Belfast, gather for their first day of training and on to the sand-bagged first world war trenches where they face death together. Kudos go to Harkin and Conaghan who create a well-designed set, in which the barracks with wooden slats for beds is later transformed brilliantly into World War One trenches. Murals along the stage also add intriguing ambience, one of which depicts the ancient Celtic legendary hero, Cú Chulainn.

I particularly liked how a series of intense interlocking vignettes between couplets of men were enhanced by lighting and space, as well as by the thunderous roar of a Lambeg drum, a triumphalist symbol of the Protestant Orange Order in Northern Ireland. The military uniforms and equipment were also striking in their sheer authenticity. 

The tone of the play is bittersweet and philosophic, with elements of both black humor and solemnity. Patrick Quinn plays the younger version of Pyper wonderfully. An openly-gay man of aristocratic background who volunteered for army service, Quinn grants him a carefree, reckless air behind which lurks a man of deep sentiment and a troubled mind. A multi-faceted person – cynical, seemingly on the brink of madness, brash, supercilious, bold to the point of foolhardy, wickedly direct, yet at the same time, a vulnerable and lost individual. 

His anecdote about his three-legged French wife is highly amusing and a love scene involving him is touching in its quiet, side-stage minimalism. One character saying the ‘Huns’ speak Gaelic also creates a light-hearted moment. In contrast, depiction of one man’s despair and breakdown in the face of danger is touching, even more so as his friend tries to help.

While all the characters, except Pyper, are Northern Irish Protestant Unionists, one of the men admits something mid-way through the play which creates added intrigue and requires the attention of a military minister. 

Pyper is the exception to the anti-Fenian rants of the other men, being unwilling to indulge in such narrow-minded northern Irish tribalism and more keenly aware of the ‘sandbag’ nature of their being sent ‘over the top’ and into battle. He even demands of his fellow soldiers to answer the question as to why they are there.

Some Irish Republicans may be upset by the anecdotal joke told about rebel leader, Padraig Pearse, executed after the 1916 revolution, as someone who told his enemies he was only posting a letter when he took over Dublin’s main post office to launch the revolution, but this reflects the wit Frank McGuinness is renown for.   

One of my favorite lines from the play, for reasons I’m not quite sure of, is ‘To hell with the truth as long as it rhymes.’

Ultimately, the play is about the fragility of life and the futility of war. In the end, one is left with the belief that the soldiers are united in one thing – fear of death – and that real heroes are ordinary people and unfortunately ordinary people remain ordinary because they don’t get recognised as much as they deserve. 

The play will be hosted today (Saturday) at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, tomorrow at An Grianan Theatre in Letterkenny and next week at the Millennium Forum in Derry. 

In a post-event Q&A, Pol McCool, board chairperson of Amharclann theatre in Bunbeg, spoke about the need to build bridges between communities to help break down barriers and to appreciate shared history and values. 

Stephen Barrett, manager for Donegal of the International Fund for Ireland, talked about the role of community leaders in peace-building projects and described the evolution of this co-produced project. He also spoke eloquently about his own reaction upon seeing the graves of those who died in the trenches in Belgium and France during the First World War. The IFI was established in 1986 with financing from many countries including the US, Australia and Canada and the play was supported by the organisation’s. 

Director David Grant talked about the challenges involved in creating the production and the overriding need for people to challenge mythology about wars.

Aine Ni Churrain, former presenter at RTE Raidió na Gaeltachta and a board member of Amharclann, thanked the audience for attending the two performances at the theatre, as well as everyone involved in developing and hosting the project and wished actors, director, producer and all the technical staff every success in the other theatres where it will be held.

Waterside Theatre CEO, Iain Barr, also thanked everyone for their concerted efforts in creating a memorable theatrical event with such an important social and moral message that contributes to greater peace and understanding among communities.

Video links to some of the speakers are on my Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hillensean and https://www.facebook.com/worlditinerariespage