by Brian Friel
Hugh O’Neill Stephen Rea
Harry Hoveden Niall O’Brien
Archbishop Lombard Niall Tiobin
Hugh O’Donnell Peter Gowan
Mabel (Bagenal) O’Neill Clare Holman
Mary Bagenal Emma Dewhurst
Directed by Simon Curtis
Set design by Julian McGowan
Lighting by Rory Dempster
Act One
SCENE ONE
A large living-room in O’Neill’s home in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland. Late August in 1591. The room is spacious and scantily furnished: a large, refectory-type table; some chairs and stools; a sideboard. No attempt at decoration.
O’Neill moves around this comfortless room quickly and energetically, inexpertly cutting the stems off flowers, thrusting the flowers into various vases and then adding water. He is not listening to Harry Hoveden who consults and reads from various papers on the table.
O’Neill is forty-one. A private, sharp-minded man, at this moment uncharacteristically outgoing and talkative. He always speaks in an upper-class English accent except on those occasions specifically scripted. Harry Hoveden, his personal secretary, is about the same age as O’Neill. O’Neill describes him as a man ‘who has a comforting and a soothing effect’.
Harry That takes care of Friday. Saturday you’re free all day – so far. Then on Sunday – that’ll be the fourteenth – O’Hagan’s place at Tullyhogue. A big christening party. The invitation came the day you left. I’ve said you’ll be there. All right? (Pause.) It’s young Brian’s first child – you were at his wedding last year. It’ll be a good day. (Pause.) Hugh?
O’Neill Yes?
Harry O’Hagan’s – where you were fostered.
O’Neill Tell me the name of these again.
Harry Broom.
O’Neill Broom. That’s it.
Harry The Latin name is genista. Virgil mentions it somewhere.
O’Neill Does he really?
Harry Actually that genista comes from Spain.
O’Neill looks at the flowers in amazement.
O’Neill Good Lord – does it? Spanish broom – magnificent name, isn’t it?
Harry Give them plenty of water.
O’Neill Magnificent colour, isn’t it?
Harry A letter from the Lord Deputy –
O’Neill They really transform the room. Splendid idea of yours, Harry. Thank you.
O’Neill silently mouths the word Genista again and then continues distributing the flowers.
Harry A letter from the Lord Deputy ‘vigorously urging you to have your eldest son attend the newly established College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in Dublin founded by the Most Serene Queen Elizabeth’. That ‘vigorously urging’ sounds ominous, doesn’t it?
O’Neill Sorry?
Harry Sir William Fitzwilliam wants you to send young Hugh to the new Trinity College. I’m told he’s trying to get all the big Gaelic families to send their children there. He would like an early response.
O’Neill This jacket – what do you think, Harry? It’s not a bit … excessive, is it?
Harry Excessive?
O’Neill You know … a little too – too strident?
Harry Strident?
O’Neill All right, damn it, too bloody young?
Harry (looking at his papers) It’s very becoming, Hugh.
O’Neill Do you think so? Maybe I should have got it in maroon. (He goes off to get more flowers.)
Harry A reminder that the Annual Festival of Harpers takes place next month in Roscommon. They’ve changed the venue to Roosky. You’re Patron of the Festival and they would be very honoured if you would open the event with a short –
He now sees that he is alone. He looks through his papers. Pause. O’Neill enters again with an armful of flowers.
O’Neill Genista.
Harry Yes.
O’Neill Spanish broom.
Harry Really?
O’Neill They need plenty of water.
Harry A bit of trouble. O’Kane of Limavady says he can’t pay his tribute until the harvest is saved but in the meantime he’s sending ten firkins of butter and twenty casks of beer. As usual he’s lying. It might be an idea to billet fifty extra gallowglass on him for the next quarter. That’ll keep him in line. Sir Garret Moore invites you down to Mellifont Abbey for a few days’ fishing on the Boyne. He says it’s the best salmon season he’s ever had. The Lord Chancellor’ll be there. And Sir Robert Gardener. You knew him when you were in England, didn’t you?
O’Neill Who’s that?
Harry Sir Robert Gardener, the Lord Chief Justice.
O’Neill Oh, that was twenty-five years ago. Haven’t seen him since.
Harry Might be worth renewing that friendship now.
O’Neill (Tyrone accent) Just to show him I haven’t reverted completely to type – would that be it?
Harry For political reasons.
O’Neill We’ll see. Have the musicians arrived?
Harry Yes.
O’Neill And the rhymers and the acrobats?
Harry I’ve told you – everything’s ready.
O’Neill And you’re sure nobody has heard a whisper?
Harry I’ve said you were in Dublin at a meeting of the Council. Everything’s in hand.
O’Neill Good. (He continues with his flowers.)
Harry And more trouble: the Devlins and the Quinns are at each other’s throats again. The Quinns raided the Devlins’ land three times last week; killed five women and two children; stole cattle and horses and burned every hayfield in sight. The Devlins remind you – once more they say – that they have the right to expect protection from their chieftain and that if Hugh O’Neill cannot offer them safety and justice under the Brehon Law, they’ll have to look for protection under the new English Law. And they will, too.
O’Neill I know what I’ll do, Harry.
Harry That’s a squabble needs to be sorted out quickly.
O’Neill I’ll make the room upstairs into our bedroom! And I’ll shift that consignment of Spanish saddles down to the back room. They should be closer to the stables anyway. The room upstairs faces south and there’s a good view down to the river. Yes – that’s a good decision. Don’t you agree?
Harry Why not?
O’Neill Excellent. (He returns to his flowers.)
Harry Bad news from London. Young Essex’s been arrested and thrown in the Tower.
O’Neill stops working.
O’Neill What for?
Harry There’s a list of charges. One of them is treason.
O’Neill Damn it.
Harry ‘For conferring secretly with the basest and vilest traitor that ever lived, Hugh O’Neill, in a manner most disloyal to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.’
O’Neill Damn it.
Harry He was fond of you.
O’Neill I was fond of him – despite everything.
Harry I know.
O’Neill Crazy man.
Short pause.
Harry What else is there? Hugh O’Donnell and Peter Lombard want to see you.
O’Neill All right. Some day next week.
Harry They’re here, Hugh.
O’Neill Now?!
Harry Waiting outside.
O’Neill Oh, come on, Harry! I’m scarcely in the door –
Harry O’Donnell knows you’re home. And the Archbishop’s been waiting here four days for you. And he has done an enormous amount of work. (He points to a large pile of papers.) That’s only half of his file.
O’Neill Oh, my God. All right – I’ll give them ten minutes and that’s all.
Harry Did you know that he’s begun writing a book on you?
O’Neill (suddenly alert) Lombard?
Harry So he told me.
O’Neill We have our own annalist.
Harry He knows that.
O’Neill What sort of book?
Harry He said something about a history – I don’t know – The Life and Times of Hu
gh O’Neill, I imagine.
O’Neill He might have hold me about that.
Harry He spent all Tuesday checking dates with me.
O’Neill I don’t think I like this idea at all.
Harry Maybe I got it all wrong. Ask him yourself. And this (letter) – you’ll want to read this yourself. It arrived a few hours ago.
O’Neill What’s that?
Harry From Newry.
He reaches the letter towards O’Neill. O’Neill stretches out to take it – and then withdraws his hand.
O’Neill Bagenal?
Harry Bagenal.
O’Neill Her father or her brother?
Harry Brother.
O’Neill Give me that! No, no, read it to me.
Harry ‘From Sir Henry Bagenal, Queen’s Marshal, Newry, to Sir Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, Dungannon –’
O’Neill clicks his fingers impatiently.
(reluctantly) It’s a – it’s just a catalogue of accusation and personal abuse. Your first marriage was never properly dissolved. So your second marriage was ambiguous. And of course this third.
O’Neill Bastard.
Harry He’s threatening to bring a charge of abduction against you.
O’Neill What’s he talking about?
Harry Because she’s under twenty-one.
O’Neill ‘Abduction’!
Harry He’s threatening to come and take her back by force.
O’Neill She’s not exactly Helen of Troy, for Christ’s sake! (He regrets this instantly.) And what’s that?
Harry We got our hands on a copy of a letter he’s written to the Queen: ‘I am deeply humiliated and ashamed that my blood, which my father and I have often shed in repressing this rebellious race, should now be mingled with so traitorous a stock.’
O’Neill ‘My blood’! Staffordshire mongrel!
Harry He’s going to be troublesome, Hugh.
O’Neill No wonder our poets call them Upstarts. That’s all he is – a bloody Upstart! Ignore him. He’ll bluster for a few days. I’m going to see about that bedroom.
As he is about to exit, O’Donnell and Lombard enter.
O’Donnell is a very young man in his early twenties. He is impulsive, enthusiastic and generous. He has a deep affection for O’Neill. Archbishop Lombard is a contemporary of O’Neill. By profession he is a church diplomat and his manner is careful and exact. But he is also a man of humour and perception and by no means diminished by his profession. He now carries a large candelabra and an elegant birdcage.
O’Donnell I knew I heard the voice!
O’Neill Young O’Donnell!
O’Donnell How are you, man?
O’Neill Good to see you, Hugh. You’re welcome.
O’Donnell Good to see you, too.
They embrace with great affection.
I haven’t seen you since the horse-swimming at Lough Owel, the day you rode the –! (He breaks off.) Jesus, lads, what about that – eh? Is that not a sight for sore eyes!
O’Neill Do you like it?
O’Donnell I bet you that’s a London job – eh?
O’Neill Of course.
O’Donnell And the smell of perfume off him!
O’Neill Peter.
Lombard How are you, Hugh?
O’Neill Welcome back to Dungannon.
Lombard Thank you.
O’Donnell My poor sister’s not seven months dead and I bet you the bugger’s on the prowl again! (to Harry) Am I right?
Harry spreads his hands.
Lombard Gifts for you, Hugh. From the Pope.
O’Neill What’s all this?
Lombard A silver birdcage and a gold and silver candelabra.
O’Donnell Look at that for craftsmanship.
O’Neill Lovely. Indeed. Beautiful.
O’Donnell He sent me a present, too. Guess what I got – a papal blessing!
Lombard (to O’Neill) With his warmest good wishes.
O’Neill I’m not being paid off, am I?
Lombard He’s solidly behind you in principle.
O’Neill He always is. But no money?
Lombard These things take time, Hugh. I’ve a letter from him for you too.
O’Neill (aside to Harry) See about that room now. (to Lombard) So you’re just back from Rome?
Lombard Home a week last Sunday. Came via Spain. I’ve a lot to report.
O’Neill Good. Will you sit here, Peter?
Harry exits. O’Donnell goes to the sideboard where there are bottles, wine and glasses.
Lombard (sitting) Thank you.
O’Donnell Can we help ourselves, Hugh?
O’Neill Of course. Sorry. Peter?
Lombard Not for me, thanks. I have copies here for everybody.
O’Donnell Do you know that the floor in the hall out there is going to cave in with dry rot?
Lombard This is all the recent correspondence with Spain – our case to Philip II and his responses, including his last reply which you haven’t seen yet.
O’Donnell We had dry rot in the house at Ballyshannon and my mother had to tear out every piece of timber in the place.
Lombard And this is a résumé of my Commentarius – a thesis I’m doing on the Irish situation. Briefly my case is this. Because of her mismanagement England has forfeited her right to domination over this country. The Irish chieftains have been forced to take up arms in defence of their religion. And because of your birth, education and personal attributes, you are the natural leader of that revolt. I’ll go into it in detail later on.
O’Donnell Do you know what my mother did? She got oak off those Armada wrecks lying about the coast and replaced every floor and window in the house. It’s a terrific job. You could gallop a horse across those floors now. You should do the same here, Hugh.
O’Neill And I hear you’re writing our history, Peter?
Lombard Ah. Harry has been talking.
O’Neill Have you begun?
Lombard No, no; only checking some events and dates.
O’Neill And when your checking is done?
Lombard Then I suppose I’ll try to arrange the material into a shape – eventually.
O’Neill And interpret what you’ve gathered?
Lombard Not interpret, Hugh. Just describe.
O’Neill Without comment?
Lombard I’ll just try to tell the story of what I saw and took part in as accurately as I can.
O’Neill But you’ll tell the truth?
Lombard I’m no historian, Hugh. I’m not even sure I know what the historian’s function is – not to talk of his method.
O’Neill But you’ll tell the truth?
Lombard If you’re asking me will my story be as accurate as possible – of course it will. But are truth and falsity the proper criteria? I don’t know. Maybe when the time comes my first responsibility will be to tell the best possible narrative. Isn’t that what history is, a kind of story-telling?
O’Neill Is it?
Lombard Imposing a pattern on events that were mostly casual and haphazard and shaping them into a narrative that is logical and interesting. Oh, yes, I think so.
O’Neill And where does the truth come into all this?
Lombard I’m not sure that ‘truth’ is a primary ingredient – is that a shocking thing to say? Maybe when the time comes, imagination will be as important as information. But one thing I will promise you: nothing will be put down on paper for years and years. History has to be made – before it’s remade.
Harry returns.
Harry That’s being looked after.
O’Neill Good. Now, let’s make this short and brisk, shall we? What’s on the agenda?
Harry Hugh has got information that the English are planning new fortifications along the –
O’Donnell Do you know what the hoors are at? They’re going to build a line of forts right across the country from Dundalk over to Sligo. That’ll cut us off from the south. (He illustrates this by tearing a sheet of paper in two.) The seco
nd stage is to build a huge fort at Derry so that you and I will be cut off from each other. (He illustrates this by cutting the half-page into quarters.) Then, when Donegal and Tyrone are isolated, then they plan to move in against each of us.
Harry And the Archbishop has news about help from Spain.
Lombard I have letters from both the King and –
O’Donnell But their first move is to strengthen the forts they already have: Bagenal’s place at Newry; Armagh; and the Blackwater.
Lombard (as he passes papers around) I’ve spent a lot of time in Madrid recently, Hugh, and I can tell you that Europe is looking more and more to us as the ideal springboard for the Counter-Reformation.
O’Donnell And another thing I want to talk about: the shit O’Doherty up in Inishowen. Do you know what the wee get’s at, Hugh? Nipping down as far as Killybegs, stealing our sheep and shipping them off to France! Running a bloody big export business – with my sheep!
Lombard The initial shock of the Reformation is over. Catholic Europe is now gathering itself together for a Counter-Reformation. And the feeling is that culturally, geographically and with some military assistance we could be the spearhead of that counter-attack.
O’Donnell Now I can go in today and snatch the bastard and chop his head off. But if I do that all Inishowen’s up in arms and already I have O’Rourke of West Breffny threatening to quarter me. (He now joins the others at the table.) Did you hear what we did to O’Rourke last week? Jesus, you’ll love this, Hugh. We got word that he was away down in Clare at a funeral. So we slipped down to Lough Allen and took away every horse and foal he owns! Six hundred prime animals! Jesus, he’s going mad! Because he can’t come after us! Because he has no transport! Good one, Hugh – eh?
Harry Let’s begin with the Archbishop, shall we?
O’Donnell You’ll help me against the shit O’Doherty, won’t you? Because if I do nothing, the bugger’ll think he has me bet.
Harry You sit there, Hugh.
O’Donnell Damn it, maybe I could poison him! The very job! Send him a peace offering – a cask of Bordeaux Special!
Lombard Has everybody got a copy?
O’Donnell Or better still you (O’Neill) send him the Bordeaux. He’d never suspect you. I got a jar of this deadly stuff from Genoa last week – just one drop in your glass and – plunk!
