Deirdre of the Sorrows

Description

It is predicted that Deirdre will bring ruin to Ulster… Unless she is hidden away until old enough to marry the aged King Conor. Those handsome dudes, the sons of Uisneach put a spanner in the works and learn the hard way not to toy with Deirdre’s affections. King Conor is enraged, Deirdre is not to be shaken off. In short all hell breaks loose. A good story does not get in the way of a happy ending as the bells ring for weddings on every side.

SAMPLE FROM THE OPENING SCENES:

Deirdre of the Sorrows

By Willie John Creedon

Character List (in order of appearance):

Cathbad

Yokán

Plank

Síofra

Mona

Sorcha

Clowneen

Gligeen

Orla

Siobha

Cormac

Seanín

Caoillte

Rόnán

Feidhlimidh

Seamus

Niamh

Cáit

Sadhbh

Caitlín

Broughal

Finnín

Tríona

Maura

Una

King Conor

Ryan

Levergaun

Deirdre

Naoise

Ainnle

Ardán

Seán MacSicken

 

Cathbad:

We druids know a bit. With some women, you know from the moment they open their mouths, that there is bound to be trouble…

 

Yokán:

You never said a truer word.

 

Plank:

You are bang on the money. The minute you see them drawing breath to talk, it’s time to head off out.

 

Síofra:

Not that anyone would miss you, Plank Mór.

 

Plank:

That’s a perfect example of what you were saying. Síofra here never opens her gob unless she wants to insult some poor divil.

 

Síofra:

Insult you, is it? There are some people, and you’re one of them, who make the world a worse place just by being born!

 

Plank:

I never once did anything nasty…

 

Síofra:

You never once did anything – full stop. You must be the laziest bag of wind that ever puffed itself into being.

 

Yokán:

Would you two ever give it a rest! Cathbad here is giving us the lowdown on Deirdre…

 

Mona:

Are ye still talking about her? Have ye nothing better to blather about?

 

Yokán:

Whist a while…

 

Cathbad:

From the very first moment I heard her, I knew there was bad news coming…

 

Plank:

Just like Mary Coughlan, so. Every time she opens her mouth, it’s trouble.

Cathbad:

Listen, will ye? If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to tell ye all about Deirdre. There is a lot to be learned from her story. It is a tragic tale I tell you today of disaster, calamity, cheating and doublecrossing.

 

Síofra:

A bit like the government!

 

Cathbad:

As I was saying, the minute she opened her mouth I knew there would be trouble. There we were at Feidhlimid’s place having our annual drinking session with the red Branch Knights when there was this bloodcurdling wail. We all looked to see from where the screech came.

 

Plank:

Was it from some Tipperary man when that penalty was awarded against them in the hurling All-Ireland?

 

 

 

Cathbad:

Not at all. On close inspection and investigation we discovered the wail was from Feidhlimid’s wife’s belly.

 

Plank

Indigestion! Did ye pass her the Rennies?

 

Cathbad:

It wasn’t anything like that at all! ‘Twas the baby she was carrying that left out the wail and she not even born yet!

 

Sorcha:

Bad news, surely. How did Feidhlimid take it? Did he jump into his báidin and row off to Gola, Báidín Fheidhlimid is Feidhlimid ann?

 

Cathbad:

I’m afraid he couldn’t since it was just after being wrecked on the way to Gola. Such a wail the little babby let out of her. Every last man of the Red Branch Knights shook in his boots.

 

Clowneen:

It was a cold night so…

 

Síofra:

Zip the lip, Clowneen, this is getting interesting!

 

Cathbad:

We all knew something extraordinary had happened. Something the likes of which we had never seen or heard before. Nobody knew what it all meant but we knew it could only mean trouble.

 

Sorcha:

A bit like NAMA I suppose!

Gligeen:

You can bank on that!

 

Cathbad:

It was the most sorrowful wail I ever heard in my life… Like what could cause an unborn child to kick up such a racket?

 

Síofra:

Taxing the children’s allowance might do it…

 

Cathbad:

Fortunately, I was present and all my years in Druids School finally paid off. I was the only one who knew what it all meant. I knew without a moment’s hesitation that this child would bring no end of trouble.

 

………………………………….and on it goes!

 

Written for a Senior Class, with a cast of c. 30 children. With the advent of interactive whiteboards, we decided that the play be published on CD in Microsoft Word forma, so that the script can be projected on the whiteboard during practice. In addition, this CD format enables multiple copies of the script to be easily printed off for the children. Dramatic amendments, embellishments and localisation can be made to the script, should you be so inclined.

MUSIC & SONGS: The choice of music is endless. From classical music overtures, to the songs taken from the Disney classics, from pop & rock to the traditional and modern. You only have to select about 7 or 8 graet songs to intertwine with the script and you are ready for curtains up!