The Freedom of the City
Encyclopedia
The Freedom of the City is a play
by Irish playwright
Brian Friel
first produced in 1973. It is set in Derry
, Northern Ireland
in 1970, in the aftermath of a Roman Catholic Civil Rights
meeting, and follows three protesters who mistakenly find themselves in the mayor's parlour
in the Guildhall
. The plight of the protesters is that their mistaken circumstance is interpreted as an 'occupation'. The play illustrates their final hours in the Guildhall, their failed escape and the tribunal into their deaths.
Following a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
march on 30 January 1972 in the events now known as Bloody Sunday
, in which Friel participated in, the British
1st Battalion
Parachute Regiment opened fire on the protesters which resulted in thirteen deaths. An early form of the play, having been started approximately ten months prior to Bloody Sunday, was modified following the events of the day to entail certain links to the events.
The Freedom of the City was first performed at the at the Abbey Theatre
, Dublin in Ireland
, in 1973.
In Australia
it remains a popular set text among English
, English Literature
, Drama
and Theatre Studies
secondary school
students.
shoot them as they attempt to escape.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by Irish playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Brian Friel
Brian Friel
Brian Friel is an Irish dramatist, author and director of the Field Day Theatre Company. He is considered to be the greatest living English-language dramatist, hailed by the English-speaking world as an "Irish Chekhov" and "the universally accented voice of Ireland"...
first produced in 1973. It is set in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1970, in the aftermath of a Roman Catholic Civil Rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
meeting, and follows three protesters who mistakenly find themselves in the mayor's parlour
Parlour
Parlour , from the French word parloir, from parler , denotes an "audience chamber". In parts of the United Kingdom and the United States, parlours are common names for certain types of food service houses, restaurants or special service areas, such as tattoo parlors...
in the Guildhall
Guildhall, Derry
The Guildhall in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is a building in which the elected members of Derry City Council meet. It was built in 1890....
. The plight of the protesters is that their mistaken circumstance is interpreted as an 'occupation'. The play illustrates their final hours in the Guildhall, their failed escape and the tribunal into their deaths.
Following a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was an organisation which campaigned for equal civil rights for the all the people in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
march on 30 January 1972 in the events now known as Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
, in which Friel participated in, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
1st Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
Parachute Regiment opened fire on the protesters which resulted in thirteen deaths. An early form of the play, having been started approximately ten months prior to Bloody Sunday, was modified following the events of the day to entail certain links to the events.
Performance and publication
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
, Dublin in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in 1973.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
it remains a popular set text among English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and Theatre Studies
Theatre studies
Theatre studies is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psycho-biological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also encompasses the study of theatrical aesthetics and semiotics...
secondary school
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
students.
Plot
Lily, a 43-year-old mother of eleven, Michael, a 22-year-old man (unemployed), and 'Skinner', 21 and unemployed, are the antiheroes, who perish as British soldiersBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
shoot them as they attempt to escape.
First Performance
The Freedom of the City was first performed in Dublin at the Abbey Theatre on 20 February 1973. The Cast was as follows:- Ronnie Walsh as the Priest
- Niall O'BrienNiall O'Brien (actor)Niall O'Brien was an Irish-born actor and member of the Abbey Theatre company. He was born in Dalkey village, Co. Dublin, and grew up in nearby Glasthule. He was educated at Presentation College at Westland Row, Dublin, before going on to join the Abbey School of acting.-Personal life:O'Brien...
, Dermot CrowleyDermot CrowleyDermot Crowley is a Irish stage, film and television actor.-Career:Crowley's stage work has included a leading role in an Olivier Award winning production of Conor McPherson's The Weir, which played in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States in the late 1990s...
and Colm MeaneyColm MeaneyColm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
as the three Soldiers - John Kavanagh as the Judge
- Geoffery Golden as the Police Constable
- Pat Laffan as Dr. Dodds
- Raymond Hardie as Michael
- Angela Newman as Lily
- Eamon MorrisseyEamon Morrissey (actor)Eamon Morrissey is an Irish actor, best known for his comic performances on stage and television.-Early life:An only child, Morrissey was born in Dublin and grew up in the suburb of Ranelagh. His parents encouraged his early interest in stage performance and he won several medals for his...
as Skinner - Michael O'hAonghusa as Balladeer
- Clive Geraghty as Brigadier Johnson-Hansbury
- Emmet Bargin as the Army Press Officer
- Edward Golden as Dr Winbourne (Forensic Expert)
- Derek YoungDerek YoungDerek Young is a Scottish professional footballer currently playing for Greenock Morton after leaving Grindavík.-Career:Young started his career with Aberdeen before having spells with Dunfermline Athletic, St...
as Professor Cuppley (Pathologist) - Bob Carlile as the RTÉ Commentator
- Dinny O'Brien as the Accordionist