The Field is perhaps John B. Keanes best known play. This powerful play has the 'Bull' McCabe as its central character. 'The Bull' is a tenant farmer with a ferocious temper and an obsession with the field he has been renting from a poor widow. After years of backbreaking toil, McCabe has transformed the field from three acres of rocky wasteland into a lush green pasture. But when the widow decides to put the property up for auction without considering his work, an outraged McCabe is determined to buy it at all costs. Unfortunately, there is another interested party, an english man whose plans for the field include paving it over and turning it into a cement block factory. 'The Bull' cannot stand to see the land he so deeply loves slipping away from him. He decides to deal with the situation in the only way he knows and his actions have tragic consequences. The play shows the after affects on 'The Bull' and those around him. The play was recently turned into a very successful film starring Richard Harris as 'The Bull'. Harris received an Oscar nomination for his role. The film also featured John Hurt. Connie Broderick was the director with the following cast:- (in order of appearance)
Leamy Flanagan ............... Paul
Purcell
Bird O' Donnell .................. Joe
Bergin
Mick Flanagan ................... Jim
Curran
Mrs Butler ..................... Barbara
Tighe
Maimie Flanagan ..... Rosemary
Higgins
Bull McCabe .................. George
Hogan
Tadgh McCabe ......... Anthony
Fitzgerald
Sergeant Leahy ................... Joe
Parsons
Willian Dee .........................
Colin Walsh
Dandy McCabe ............. John
McMahon
Mrs McCabe ........................
Ann Hurley
Fr. Murphy
............................ Con Deasy
Children
Jennifer Tighe, Robert Lynch, Vanessa
Newman