In the late 1960's and early 1970's the Catholic people of Derry took to streets to march for Civil Rights in the face of Unionist gerry-mandering, political discrimination and economic deprivation. The play's background is historical, but Brian Friel has combined elements of history and fiction to produce a damning piece of social commentary.
The
play opens with clashes between civil rights campaigners and the army, as chaotic
photo-montages flash on large screens. The scene then cuts to the pomp and splendour
of the Mayor's parlour in that old bastion of Unionism, The Guild Hall. Three of
the campaigners, a woman and two men, accidentally stumble upon into it while trying
to escape from police CS gas.
Lily Doherty is a mother of 11 who has had a hard life, Michael Hegarty is an industrious civil rights activist, and Skinner is an anarchic vagabond who lives on his wits. Unable at first to fathom where they have ended up, they make small talk, drink the mayoral booze and try on official robes. Outside the army and police gather and multiply while the trio remain unaware of the consequences of their actions.
These scenes are juxtaposed with scenes of drunken revellers singing songs making martyrs of the three, laden with the sentimentality of nationalistic ballads. The story jumps forward to the farcical Widgery inquiry which tries to suggest they were armed and fired first on the soldiers outside.
Sorcha Cusack is brilliant as the female protagonist, with commendable performances from Michael Colgan and Gerard Crossan. Bosco Hogan appears sporadically as an American sociologist who rationalises their behaviour as a desire to escape the poverty in which all three lived. The play is moving and raw, if a little fragmented and the momentum wanes towards the end. However, with a new inquiry due on the subject of Bloody Sunday, this is an interesting account of tensions in the North during the period which is worth seeing.
Sinead Gleeson
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