The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at 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 and in Belfast by Bruiser Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre in April 2018. Several film versions have also been made.
Origins
While in America, Dion explored the turmoil that was boiling up in the new nation and wrote about it. As a result of this, in 1859 he wrote, produced, and acted in a very famous antislavery play called The Octoroon (Rowell 173). He and his wife played the leads and, after the first week of runs, only earned about 1500 dollars between the two of them. Dion thought this was a bit unfair since he had done the majority of the work for the production and asked for a larger cut for both him and his wife. Consequently, they both found themselves cut from the show entirely and jobless.
One evening, not long after the Octoroon incident, in the spring of 1860, Dion was walking home when he felt the sudden urge to venture into a bookstore he had passed a hundred times before. He came out moments later with a Gerald Griffin novel, The Collegians which was written in 1829. He was so excited that the first thing he did when he got home was to write Laura Keene a letter stating that he was writing a play based on The Collegians and that he would have the first act to her by the end of the weekend. He told her that they should start the rehearsal/build process immediately and he would finish the play as they rehearsed, so basically, the definition of theatre on the fly. Thus, Dion took his playwriting back to his Irish roots and The Colleen Bawn came to life and opened at the Laura Keene Theatre in May 1860.
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 Daniel O'Connell. He was found guilty and hanged at Gallows Green, the place of execution on the Clare side of the Shannon. Sullivan was apprehended shortly afterwards, confessed and was also hanged.
Characters
Hardress Cregan — Irish landowner fallen on hard times. Myles na Coppaleen (from the Irish Myles na gcapaillín, "Myles of the ponies") — poacher and moonshine 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 magistrate who aims to seize the Cregan estate. Eily O'Connor, the Colleen Bawn (from the Irish cailín bán, "fair girl") — A common girl, Hardress's secret wife. Anne Chute, the Colleen Ruaidh (from the Irish cailín rua, "red-haired girl") — wealthy heiress. Mrs Cregan — Mother of Hardress.
Plot
The Colleen Bawn captivated audiences with its interwoven character plots and overall story. The play begins with Hardress Cregan planning his trip across the lake to see his wife, Eily O’Connor, with his noble follower Danny Mann. It is only known to the two of them and the two caretakers of Eily that the pair is married. During this conversation Hardress’s dear friend, Kyrle Daly, and mother, Mrs. Cregan, enter. Mrs. Cregan immediately explains to Kyrle that Hardress is to marry their cousin Anne Chute, trying to convince him that his love for Anne is futile and that he should move on. After this exchange, the mortgage holder of the Cregan land, Mr. Corrigan, enters and converses with Mrs Cregan about her payment options. In order to save their estate, she is given an ultimatum: either have her son marry Anne, whom he obviously does not love, or marry Mr. Corrigan.