Cathleen ni Houlihan
Cathleen ni Houlihan Alternative Title: Kathleen ni Houlihan
Author: W. B. Yeats
First Performance: 1902, Dublin
Published: 1902
Genre: Drama in 1 act; prose and songs
Setting: Cottage near Killala, Ireland, 1798
Cast: 3m, 3f, extras
Michael Gillane is preparing for his wedding the following day, when a strange old woman appears, mourning the loss of her four fields (the four provinces of Ireland). Inspiring Michael with her tales of those who have given their lives for her, she reveals that she is Cathleen ni Houlihan (the personification of Ireland). Cheers come from Killala harbour, signalling that French troops are landing, and Michael, despite the pleas of his bride, leaves to fight for freedom. Cathleen is no longer an old woman but ‘a young girl’ with ‘the walk of a...
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