GRANUAILE
Bingham first sought to get around these orders through inaction but evidently Grainne threatened and he relates in a letter to Lord Burghley on the 24th of November, 'I have enlarged Grany O'Malley, her son Tibbot and brother Donell na Pipee, upon such slender sureties as they gave us, the woman urging it some importunely swering that she would elles repair presently to England.'
Grainne put to sea again under the guise of continuing the Queen's 'quarrel with all the world'. Her son and brother were released. Bingham, having fought her so hard for many years, did not want to see her return to her old ways. Contrary to the laws of the Composition he forced her to billet an oppressive number of soldiers and ordered Captain Strittas and a company of soldiers to accompany her on all sea voyages.
This and whatever other hardships he subjected her to finally caused her to flee to Munster in late 1594 or early 1595 where she stayed with an old acquaintance Thomas, Earl of Ormond. Having some influence at court he lent his weight to another petition. There is no recorded reply to either that or a later petition. Eventually she returned to Rockfleet.
The O'Neill and The O'Donnell were engaged in active war with the crown during the last half of the decade. Survival was at a premium and raiding was commonplace. The Dean of Limerick reported 'MacNeil of Barra and Grany ny Mallye invaded one another's possessions though far distant'.
Her son Tibbot was the main force amongst her relations and fought on the side of the new English governor of Connaught, Sir Conyers Clifford. They proved themselves well and he that he had 'given him (Tibbot), his mother and brother amongst them in money and other necessaries, 200' for their valuable services by sea.
In late 1598 there was a substantial English defeat and Grainne's own lands were overrun. In 1600 O'Neill and O'Donnell had Connaught and nearly the entire of Munster in their hands and help from Spain seemed imminent. The turning point came in May when Henry Docwra landed on the Foyle with 4000 troops being O'Neill lines. Mountjoy and Carew attacked Ulster and Munster, destroying everything in their path.
There is only one more recorded account of Granuaile, that of an English patrol overcoming one of her galleys on its way to plunder the McSweeneys. It is thought she died in Rockfleet castle about the year 1603 and possible lived just long enough to hear of the defeat of her one time friends O'Neill and O'Donnell at the battle of Kinsale.
She had seen in her life the end of the Gaelic order and Brehon system of laws. In learning to survive in the changing times of Chieftains and Earls she had played many cards. It is told that she was fond of gambling and risk taking. Her life would seem to support this. It is sad to note that the records we have of her are almost exclusively from the English State Papers. She does not appear in the Annals of Ireland whether through being eclipsed by the many other notable events of her time or through a disregard for her sex it is uncertain. But with the legendary precedent of Maeve, Queen of Connaught, one wonders how many other women leaders of Ireland have also been overlooked.
The Gráinne Mhaol - Macnas Theatre
In 2001 Macnas is concentrating on the training programme for performers in both community outreach programmes and indoor shows as well as the development of ideas.
We are currently working with our ensemble of performers as well as various other Galway based performers. Areas such as physical training, mask work, chorus work and corporeal movement are being covered with Lecoq-trained facilitators.
Macnas intends to hold open auditions for our next production some time in the Autumn of 2001.
If you would like further information please contact Judith at
commun@macnas.com
Press Reviews
Macnas To Take Swashbuckling To The Streets In Grainne Mhaol.
Galway Advertiser July 11 - Una Sinnott
"We're deliberately not telling people where and when because we want a surprise element," Higgins explained. "Things will just happen around you, and the surprise element and excitement is what we wanted to get in touch with again. "The parade was fantastic and people are going to miss it, but the reason we wanted a change is that we wanted to do something different for the people of Galway. We have tried to make it very relevant to Galway, the history and the place."
Meanwhile the indoor performance - featuring 17 professional actors and 50 volunteers -will bring heroic battles into a large indoor space. The script, written by rarely get such a large cast." Patricia Forde, portrays a version of the events which shaped Grainne's life. "We are not trying to present a historically accurate account of her life," explained Kathy Leaby, director of the indoor scenes. "Her life was amazing and she had so many events and husbands and battles. It was so enormous that what we've done is allow some of those events to inspire us creatively.
"Out of those moments we have formed a narrative of events that were happening in England and the demise of Brehon life. That period of time was very bloody, and one of the challenges is that there are so many battles and massacres involved, so it was finding the right form to show each particular element. I think it's the marriage of text and spectacle that is the centre of the work."
Leahy, a freelance director and artistic director of Shaskeen Theatre Company, has also been instrumental in bringing the production -complete with volunteer cast -to perform in the grounds of Coventry Cathedral after its premiere at the Galway Arts Festival. Leahy is a fellow of the Belgrade Theatre Company in Coventry, which will host the event. Macnas has also been invited to perform Grainne Mhaol at Farmleigh House in August.
"We have all the usual Macnas elements, the drumming, the big spectacle, and lots of physical elements," she continued. "There's of wanted to bring it back to the people. We also a bit of swashbuckling, so it's quite a feast for the eye really.
"The biggest challenge was the working together of a professional cast and a community cast, and the commitment and vibrancy that that brings to the piece.
Memories
I invite all participants and/or those who saw the show to enter their memories into this space. Photos of the show most welcome
