Duhallow Players play a stormer at Bugle in the Blood
PLAY DEALS WITH MORAL DILEMMAS, RIGHTS AND WRONGS AND SELF SACRIFICE IN TRIMBLE HOUSEHOLD
WITH a stellar cast and history peeking its nose around the corner, the Duhallow Players staged, Bryan McMahon’s ‘Bugle In the Blood’ almost 63 years to the day since it was last performed.
In short, the Duhallow Players proved their mettle at their opening night in Meelin on Sunday.
As part of the Meelin Rising Commemoration celebrations, the Duhallow Players which were only formed in November proved that when push comes to shove and with a clock ticking, they were all well able to put their shoulder to the wheel and execute what is ultimately a dark period of Irish history but yet it is peppered with humour and dollops of irony.
The story stems from the Trimble lodging house in North Cork during a time of serious political turbulence and it examines some of the tragic effects which occurred in the aftermath of the Rising.
The play deals with Robby Trimble, a son on hunger strike and the moral dilemmas, rights and wrongs of self sacrifice as seen through the eyes of his family.
The cast were in the very capable hands of director, Michael O’Halloran who was in effect double jobbing as he also played the role of Botany Connell with sheer class.
The first act took place in the kitchen of the Trimble home, where there the air is heavy as Moroya Trimble (owner of lodging house, played by the excellent Eileen Fitzgerald) and her husband Joseph, (a truly sparkling performance by Denis Sheehan) are worried about their son Robby who at this stage is on hunger strike for 10 days.
Joseph Trimble wonders about “who or what is Ireland” while his married daughter Evelyn McCann ( played by the truly talented Noreen Angland) is blessed with a curt tongue and a fiery temper feels more like an unmarried woman as her husband, Neilus is off in England.
While there is a relative sea of calmness in the home in the first Act, bar the mouse who likes to be heard behind the cupboard, that scene is blown out of the water by Circus Jack (played by the truly fantastic Charlie O’Connor who in the day light hours works a legal eagle).
Circus Jack makes his entrance fully known with a potent mixture of a days drinking under his belt and bellowing. However, he immediately declares that he is a” quiet man who needn’t be” – a McMahon phrase which still rolls off the tongue in Duhallow.
He stumbles and he roars and clenches his fist and is in the thick of the action – but he proudly informs the family that no man would ever treat him badly and those who tried were left with his teeth marks.
However, he is fast brought to task by Rab the Indian Pedlar (played with great hilarity by John F Ryan) who castigates him for stealing his cardigan. While Rab is a loveable rogue who is trying to turn a pound where he can, he is also tasked with trying to cook a chicken and keep it from the flared nostrils and beady eyes of Circus Jack.
While the play is certainly dark and it shows the pain and sorrow that fighting for the cause can bring, it also has great slices of humour.
If ever there was a woman who could resemble a female version of the grim reaper then it is surely Mrs Monahan, a neighbour of the Trimbles
Denis Shehan (Joe Trimble), Charlie O’Connor (Circus Jack), John F Ryan (Rab) and Eileen Fitzgerald (Moroya Trimble) in a scene from The Bugle In The Blood by Brian McMahon, directed by Michael O Halloran which will be presented by Duhallow Players in Meelin Hall, Sunday 24th and Thursday 28th to Saturday 30th April at 8pm. Photo: Eileen O’Connor
(the talented Joan Haliden) who delights in a cup of tea and perhaps some bread with jam.
She glows like a burning candle when news filters through with slices of sorrow and misery and is somewhat ecstatic on hearing that Robby is now on day 59 of his hunger strike and “his skin is drawn across his face like parchment.”
Mrs Monahan’s daughter, May Bridie (played to great perfection by Michelle Enright) is much softer in tone and heart. May Bridie slips in and out and only wants to help but her mother is much more keen on sorrow and misery - the more, the better.
In the thick of it is the bookish young man Andy Trimble (played by aplomb by Darragh O’Keeffe) who has the feverish rebel blood coursing through his veins.
While Robby in a letter pleads with his younger brother to “stick with the books” the draw of freedom and fighting is sparkling in his eyes.
The Detective Tim Sullivan (played with great execution by Donal O’Sullivan) promises to watch out for Andy and keep him out of danger. The Trimbles are on the cusp of losing one son and it would be beyond words to lose two.
Even Botany Connell wonders about the Republic and remarks that the Irish seem to fight “just for the gas of it.”
But the fight is not yet over as Joseph Trimble plans to finally nab a dead mouse under his roof. But he ends up with two dead sons. One which quickly followed another as Andy in a struggle with Detective O’Sullivan is shot dead.
The Trimble household now has only memories for comfort. After the first night’s performance, Mr O’Halloran thanked everyone who attended.
He presented a bouquet of flowers to Kitty Sheehan who took part in the Bugle in the Blood on April 26, 1953.
The play will be performed tonight, Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 at 8pm sharp. It is well worth going to the highest village in the country and enjoying the talent of the Duhallow Players who have worked so hard on this play.