The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-09-13

In two continents, is, however, divided
between the sixteenth. seventeenth,
eighteenth. and nineteenth centuries.
Once again have the Irish-Anglo writ
ers made great efforts to supply a
noted deficiency In old Irish literature
that of the drama. The earliest
recorded play is IAN Old Irish Moral
ity," performed at the Holy Trinity
Church, Dublin, about the middle Of
the sixteenth century. The piece, In
a mutilated state, is to be found at
the back of the Records of the Holy
Trinity Church" in the Royal Irish
Academy, Dublin. This Interesting
Information is based on the author
ity Of seamas O'Sullivan, the poet,
"as we rummaged amongst the book
barrows in a street of the quays one
Saturday in December, 1911"
The first real play in history, was
THE Irish Knight" acted by the Earl
of Warwick's servants, 1876. The his
tory Of Irish drama is then traced
author by author, actor by actor,
through the days of the Royal and
the Smock Alley Theaters until the
strange career of the Abbey Theater
begins. Mr.. Holloway has carried out
his investigations to voluminous pur-
pose. It Is almost incredible that so
many Irish plays exist. But, when
the few best are sorted out, one real
ICES with feeling of despair that all
this effort and erudition has only gone
up to penning the history of the stage
1rishman.
He grins at us out Of every epoch
and behind every page. In vain we
turn to the spacious days of Eliza
bethan drama; he runs out at us as
"a despicable Irish lackey"-"Mack
Shane of Ulster" which. we fear .is
a harlequinade on the brave name of
one Shane O'Neill. In the seven.
teenth century we learn that
"Teague" was the national nickname,
and was used as poor Paddy" is to-
day. In the Williamite era, Shad.
well, the poet laureate, carried on the
farce in "Teague O'Divelly, the Irish
Priest" and the stage 1rishman was
officially launched upon his long and
odious course. In changing scenes,
and with different names. he ofrends
us through the long, licentious and
shameless eighteenth century, as Cap
tain O'Blunder, Captain O'Cutter. Sir
O'Tremor, or Dennis Bulgruddery.
One saying of the last-named is the
only one which the editor cares to
quote from a century Of play-writing:
Lodge in my heart, and I'll never
az you for rent"-we accept 1t as
genuine. But we fear that the whole
period could be summed up in the
play Of Isaac Jackman, entitled, "The
Milesian: A Comic Opera" 1t has
been the GROWING blunder Of English
rule to treat Irish history and It's re-
suits as, at best, a comedy. If the
tale Of the Milesian shall ever be writ
ten. it can only be in the guise of Ira
gedy.
It Is curious to note that Irish play
ers in those days, as in our own, used
to fall back on translations of Moliere,
when the local themes gave out. The
Abbey Theater had its heralds and
prototypes. Maria Edgeworth wrote
plays somewhat after the cast of Lady
Gregory today. Once more we quote
one of the few quotations with which
the play list is enriched-the ending
Of one Of Miss Edgeworth's:
"A fig for the bog of Ballynascraw,
Now tits all love and no law"
and we feel that the golden age has
not been quite reached.
With the nineteenth century, the
national burlesque thrived stronger
than ever "Teague" revived as Larry
O'Gig, as Pierce O'Hara, "the horse
racing, punch-drinking, irrepressible
1rishman," or as the Irish Ambassa-
dor, "sir Patrick O'Phenipo." And
so year by year the Irish character
was degraded, first in the, minds Of
the cheap libretto writer's. then In the
mind Of the English public. and final
ly in the popular mind Of Ireland her
self, which laughed and sneered at IT,
self in caricature until the twentieth
century.
1t was not till 1902 that the first
protest was made, and an audience at
the Royal rose up AGAINST Sergeant
Major Milligan." Since then these