The acclaimed historic drama, ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’, which is based on the story of Irish immigrants who attempted to resist exploitation in the coalfields of 1860s Pennsylvania, will make its Irish premier run in Liberty Hall Theatre, Dublin 1, on Wednesday 10th May and Thursday, 11th May. Written by John Kearns and directed by Dara Carolan, this will be the first run of ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’ outside of the United States. The play is a gripping tale of a secret society, the Molly Maguires, and its battle with cheating and discriminating mine owners which would result in over 20 alleged ‘Mollies’ being executed, ten of them on one day, 21st June 1877. It has previously featured in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City, where it was nominated for five awards, including Outstanding Direction, Lead Actor, and Ensemble. Writer, John Kearns, will be attending the Irish run of the play. He said: “Even though ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’ takes place in the 1860s and 1870s, its themes of immigration, biased media, corrupt courts, and terrorism are very relevant to the 21st century. Writing ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’ also gave me the opportunity to examine how history is created since the illiterate alleged Mollies left no record of their side of the story.” He added: “I'm looking forward to seeing the how Dara Carolan has directed the all-Irish cast, and I believe the Irish audience will have a ready understanding of the cultural practices, like mumming, and bits of the Irish language included in Sons of Molly Maguire.” The play is headlining the inaugural Dublin MayFest, a celebration of workers’ culture, which includes plays, music events and photographic exhibitions, taking place in Liberty Hall, Dublin from 2nd May to 11th May. MayFest 2017 co-director, Brian Tracey, said: “Like the other events in MayFest, Sons of Molly Maguire’ is largely performed by trade union activists and emphases the struggles of working people in the past and currently.” For tickets for ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’ (cost €10), email Laura Woods at lwoods@siptu.ie or call 01 – 858 6354.
Acclaimed historical drama ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’ to make Irish premier next week
