Sean O’Casey | Greatest Irish Playwright

Sean O’Casey is known globally as an amazing Irish Playwright. He has written many plays that are still watched and studied widely today. He is known for many of his excellent plays, including his Dublin Trilogy and ‘Red Roses for Me’. Known as Ireland’s greatest Playwright and a Hawthornden Prize winner, he has also made his mark on the big screen.

Continue reading to learn about Ireland’s most famous Playwright, his works and the well-deserved recognition he has received.

Where the Irish Playwright Started

Sean O’Casey was born in Dublin (at 85 Upper Dorset Street). He was born on 30 March 1880. He was named John Casey and was the son of Michael Casey and Susan Archer. He lived in an entire household of 14 until his father died when he was six years old. After his father’s death, the family moved from house to house for many years. As a boy, the young O’Casey had poor eyesight as a child, which unfortunately interfered with his education. However, he taught himself to read and write by age 13. Then, at 14, he left school and began working in many establishments, including Eason’s and as a railwayman for nine years at the Great Northern Railway (GNR). 

From a young age, the young O’Casey showed interest in drama as he and his brother Archie reenacted plays by William Shakespeare and Dion Boucicault. Showing his passion from an early age, it is no surprise that this interest grew to turn him into the nation’s favourite Irish Playwright. 

Throughout his early life, he was an active member of many churches. The last church he was a member of was St. Barnabas’ Church at the North Wall Quay. He used this church in his famous play, ‘Red Roses For Me.’ Like many writers, he used elements from his life to fuel his writing. 

Sean O’Casey married the Irish actress Eileen Carey Reynolds in 1927. They had three children: Breon, Niall, and Shivaun.

Inspiration Strikes the Irish Playwright

How and when did the Irish Playwright change his name from John Casey to the Irish Sean O’Casey? He always had an interest in Irish nationalism; therefore, in 1906, he joined the Gaelic League, learned the Irish language and Gaelicised his name. His full name in Irish is Seán Ó Cathasaigh. His passion for Irish nationalism grew, and he founded the St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band and joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood.  

Following this, in March 1914, he was appointed Secretary of Larkin’s Irish Citizen Army; in July of that same year, he resigned. The nationalist fight is what drew Sean O’Casey to write after his friend Thomas Ashe died in a hunger strike in 1917. He started firstly by writing ballads, and then, for the following five years, he began writing his plays.

The Plays We Fell In Love With

Many of us have read the fantastic plays by Irish Playwright Sean O’Casey in books while in school. Others have witnessed his magic onstage. Sean O’Casey’s first play to be performed at the Abbey Theatre was the play within his Dublin Trilogy, ‘Shadow of the Gunroom’. It was first shown in 1923 and was the first of many of O’Casey’s plays to be performed here. This marks the beginning of a long-standing relationship between O’Casey and the theatre.

O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy

Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy is arguably his most famous work. This trilogy comprises ‘Shadow of a Gunman’, ‘Juno and the Paycock’, and ‘The Plough and the Stars’. Following O’Casey’s first work performed in the Abbey Theatre, the second two followed, ‘Juno and the Paycock’ performed in 1924 and ‘The Ploughman and the Stars’ performed in 1926.

Shadow of a Gunman Summary:

Sean O’Casey’s play ‘The Shadow of a Gunman’ is a tragicomedy set in Dublin in May 1920. Each act is set in the same room, Seumus Shield’s room in a tenement in Hilljoy.

This play follows the poet Donal Davoren, who arrives in Hilljoy to room with Seamus Shields. The other tenants wrongly assume him to be an IRA gunman, which he does not deny. This wrong assumption wins him the affection of the attractive Minnie Powell.

Seumus’ business partner, Mr Maguire, comes to the apartment and drops off a bag; Seumus assumes the bag contains household items for resale. After Mr. Maguire leaves the apartment, he goes to partake in an ambush, in which he is killed. Following this ambush, the city is forced into curfew, and the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve (RICSR) raids the tenement building. During this raid, they discover that the bag is, in fact, full of Mills bombs, not items for resale. After this discovery, Millie Powell hides the bag in her room. Due to her attempt at hiding the bag, she is arrested and later shot and killed as she attempts to escape her imprisonment.

Shadow of a Gunman Quotes:

“Did anybody ever see the like of the Irish people? Is there any use of trying to do anything in this country?”

“But Minnie is attracted to the idea, and I am attracted to Minnie. . . . And what danger can there be in being the shadow of a gunman?”

“That’s the Irish People all over – they treat a serious thing as a joke and a joke as a serious thing.”

Juno and the Paycock Summary:

Like ‘Shadow of a Gunman’, the second of his trilogy is set in Dublin tenements during the Irish Civil War.

Sean O’Casey’s ‘Juno and the Paycock’ follows the Boyle family. Jack Boyle is a self-centred husband who spends his time drinking with his friend Joxer rather than finding a job. Juno is the hardworking wife who looks after her son Johnny, who lost his arm in the Easter Rising, and daughter Mary, a young, vain idealist on strike.

The family learns from Charlie Bentham (Mary’s fiance) that they will inherit money from a relative of Boyles. The family celebrates, and Boyle buys many luxuries, such as furniture, a gramophone, and a suit, all on credit. The celebrations are put on hold when a neighbour’s son is murdered. The tragedies continue when the Boyle family learns that Bentham, who made the will, did so in such a way that the legacy is now worthless. Coincidentally, Bentham breaks his engagement with Mary and runs away to England.

Following this disaster, more unfortunate events follow. Firstly, Mary discovers that she is pregnant. Furniture men arrive to take everything back that was bought and left unpaid for, and finally, two soldiers arrive to take Johnny away; he leaks the information, which leads to the death of the neighbour’s son, and Johnny is then murdered as punishment.

In the end, Juno decides that the best course of action is to move into her sister’s house with Mary to raise the baby, leaving Boyle alone. The play closes with Boyle and Joxer drunk instead of facing their many problems.

Juno and the Paycock Quotes:

“It’s miraculous. Whenever he senses a job in front of him, his legs begin to fail him”

“Get out ‘o this! Get out o’ this at once. Ye’re nothin’ but a prognosticator, a procrastinator!”

“Me poor little child! It’ll have no father!” “Ah, sure, it’ll have what’s better — it’ll have two mothers”

“I ofen looked up at the sky an’ assed meself the question – what is the moon, what is the stars?”

“it’s nearly time we had a little less respect for the dead, an’ a little more regard for the living.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say, ma – a principle’s a principle.”

The Plough and the Stars Summary:

Sean O’Casey’s ‘The Plough and the Stars’ is a four-act play set in Dublin, like the previous two of his Dublin Trilogy. The first two acts take place in November 1915, looking forward to the liberation of Ireland, and the second two acts are set in April 1916 during the Easter Rising. This play was first performed in the Abbey Theatre on 8 February 1926. This play was very controversial, and on the 4th ever performance in 1926, a riot broke out mid-play in the Abbey Theatre. When O’Casey first brought this play to the theatre, directors were concerned. There was much debate about changing parts of the play. W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory agreed that removing elements of the original play for political or another reason other than dramatic tradition would be wrong.

The first act of ‘The Plough and the Stars’ shows the everyday working-class life in Dublin. The act opens with Mrs. Gogan gossiping. We are introduced to the most significant characters, including Fluther Good, Young Covey, Jack Clitheroe, and Nora Clitheroe. Later in the act, Captain Brennan arrives at the Clitheroe’s home. Here, he calls for Commandant Clitheroe, surprising Jack as he is unaware he has been promoted. Nora begs for him not to open the door. However, he does and is handed his orders, telling him that he and his battalion are to meet with General James Connolly. As he is unaware of his promotion, Jack questions why he was not made aware. Captain Brennan claims to have given Nora the letter. Jack then begins fighting with Nora as she had burned the letter without telling him about it.

The second act is set inside a public house and was initially called ‘The Cooing of Doves’. From inside the public house, we can hear a political rally outside, and on multiple occasions, we can listen to an unnamed man addressing the crowd. We are introduced to Rosie Redmond, a prostitute, who is complaining to the barman that the rally outside is affecting business and profit. Throughout the act, people enter and leave the bar, and Bessie Burgess and Mrs. Gogan come in and begin to fight. After they leave, Covey insults Rosie, which results in another fight between him and Fluther. Then, Jack, Lieutenant Langon, and Captain Brennen enter the bar in uniform and carry The Plough and the Stars flag and a tricolour flag. They feel so excited and fueled by the speeches that they are prepared to die for Ireland. They drink and leave again, and then Fluther leaves with Rosie.

The third act takes place on Easter Monday, 1916. It opens with Peter, Mrs Gogan, and Covey discussing the fight, and Covey announces that Patrick Pearse, with his men, read out the Proclamation of Irish Independence. Nora cannot find Jack in the fight; Mrs. Grogan then takes her inside. Looting has broken out across the city; a fashionably dressed woman arrives, asking for the safest route home as the fighting has made it impossible to find a taxi. She is left outside the tenement as Fluther tells her that all routes will be the same and leaves with Convey to loot a pub. Peter refuses to help her out of fear and goes inside. Brennan and Jack appear with a wounded rebel. Nora runs out to see them and begs Jack to stop fighting and stay with her. Jack ignores her, pushes her away, and leaves with his comrades; Nora then goes into labour.

Act four takes place later in the rising. This scene is a whole of devastation. Firstly, a girl named Mollser dies of tuberculosis, and Nora has a stillbirth. Nora is deluded, imagining her and Jack walking in the woods. Brennan announces that Jack has been shot dead. Nora goes to a window, shouting and trying to find Jack. However, Bessie pulls her away from the window but is mistaken for a sniper and is shot in the back.

The Plough and the Stars Quotes:

“There’s no reason to bring religion into it. I think we ought to have as great a regard for religion as we can, so as to keep it out of as many things as possible”

“God, she’s goin’ to th’ divil lately for style! That hat, now, cost more than a penny. Such notions of upperosity she’s gettin’.”

“that are hidin’ th’ dead,in-stead of homes that are sheltherin’ th’ livin’.”

“We rejoice in this terrible war, The old heart of the earth needed to be warmed with the red blood of battlefields”

Later works

Following the success of Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, he continues to write many more plays that we have fallen in love with over the years. Some of these most famous plays are: ‘Bedtime Story’ which was published in 1951, ‘A Pound on Demand’ which was published in 1939, ‘Cock-a-Doodle Dandy’ which was published in 1949, ‘Purple Dust’ which was published in 1940, ‘The Story of the Irish Citizen Army’ which was published in 1919, ‘The Silver Tassie’ which was published in 1927, ‘Red Roses for Me’ which was published in 1943, and ‘The End of the Beginning’ which was published on 1937. Here, we have summarised ‘The Silver Tassie’, ‘Red Roses for Me’, and ‘The End of the Beginning’.

The Silver Tassie

‘The Silver Tassie’ is a four-act Expressionist play and another tragi-comedy written by Sean O’Casey. It is about the First World War, and the antiwar theme is evident throughout. It was an unusual play at the time due to the extended period it covers, from prewar to the aftermath. However, in 1928, W. B. Yeats rejected the play to be performed in the Abbey Theatre. It was, therefore, first performed in the Apollo Theatre in London on 11 October 1929. It was later (finally) performed in the Abbey Theatre on 12 August 1935; it was only performed in Ireland five times due to the controversy.

This play follows a soldier, Harry Heegan, who goes to war as if it is a football game. Act One opens with Harry as the athlete, in the prime of his life and at the top of his fitness. However, he is unaware of the actual values of life. Next, in Act Two, there is a sudden change, and we are now at the battlefront. We watch Harry and all the soldiers in loss without hope. Act Three is set in the veterans’ hospital, and we are then shown the bitterness of the veteran soldiers. Finally, in Act Four, we see the disabled Harry. He is not the fit young man he was at the start of the play. Instead, he is contrasted against young men who did not partake in the war and are as healthy and fit as he was initially. We watch Harry’s loss of physical ability, youth, and hope.

The Silver Tassie Quotes

“Teddy Foran and Harry Heegan have gone to live their way in another world. Neither you nor I can lift them out of it. No longer can they do the things we do. We can’t give sight to the blind or make the boring walk. We would if we could. It is the misfortune of war. As long as wars are waged, we shall be vexed by woe; strong legs shall be made useless and bright eyes made dark. But we, who have come through the fire unharmed, must go on living. Com along, and take your part in life. Come along, Barney, and take your partner into the dance!”

Red Roses for Me

Sean O’Casey’s ‘Red Roses for Me’ was published in 1943. At the time of this publication, Ireland was still unsettled (more so in Northern Ireland) after the Irish Civil War had ended. However, O’Casey set this play in 1913, when Dublin was in a similar state.

O’Casey’s ‘Red Roses for Me’ opens in Mrs Breydon’s apartment. At the beginning of Act One, she is with her son, Ayamonn, and they are talking about the upcoming strike about wages. They also talk about Ayamonn’s relationship with the young Catholic Sheila Moorneen. His mother disapproves of the match as they are from different religious backgrounds; she also points out that Sheila will want to be a pampered woman, and he will not be able to provide what she desires on his salary.

Then Eeada, Dympna, and Finnoola arrive with a statue of the Virgin Mary; they ask Mrs. Breydon for some soap to wash it. Mrs. Breydon leaves with them to visit a sick neighbour to pay their respects. Then arrives Sheila. She and Ayamonn disagreed as she had called earlier, but he did not open the door. He tries to be playful and woo her, but she continues to be annoyed and says he must be severe. She worries about his involvement in the strike and says that if they remain together long-term, he must focus on reality.

She tries to leave when he refuses to be severe, but they are interrupted by the landlord. Along with the landlord is a man singing in the play. She stays and listens to the song. However, the music is interrupted several times; Sheila takes the opportunity to leave during the final interruption and tells Ayamonn that their relationship is over. The act ends with the three women returning in a panic, saying that the statue has been stolen, and Ayamonn offers to help the women look for it.

The second act of ‘Red Roses for Me’ is also set in the Breydon’s home but on a later evening. It opens with Brennan carrying the statue into the house, and his explanation of taking it to polish it for the young girl who admires it, he puts it back in its place. Later in the act, Mullcanny arrives to give Ayamonn a book about evolution and leaves again. This is followed by the arrival of Sheila, who continues to convince Ayamonn to give up on his artistic ways; she tells him that if he does not get involved in the strike, he will be made a foreman.

Ayamonn refuses and is angered by her again; he does not want to betray his fellow work friends. Ayamonn and Sheila are interrupted again, but this time by the return of Mullcanny, only this time he is frantic, and a religious mob has beaten him up. The mob followed him and threw two stones through the windows. Following this madness, the protestant rector, a friend of Ayamonn’s, arrives. He has a warning, and soon, two railwaymen arrive. All three tell Ayamonn that the strike is forbidden and that the police will use force to stop it if it goes on. They ask him to be one of the speakers. Ayamonn agrees despite Sheilas’ protest.

Act three of ‘Red Roses for Me’ opens on a bridge overlooking Dublin. It is a gloomy setting, and several characters are present. The crowd talks about how Dublin has changed and how it used to be a great city. Ayamonn and Roory arrive, and Ayamonn speaks to the crowd about how Dublin could become a great city again through actions like the strike. The stage gradually becomes lighter, a clever use of pathetic fallacy. Ayamonn continues to sing, which causes the crowd to rise. Finnoola and Ayamonn dance together, and the stage becomes bright, like the sun is shining on Dublin. However, his happy and cheerful scene is soon shattered, as there is a sound of marching from offstage, and the scene darkens. Finnoola insists that Ayamonn remains with her. However, he kisses her and leaves.

The fourth act of ‘Red Roses for Me’ opens on the grounds of a Protestant church. Here, the rector uses Ayamonn’s cross during the Easter ceremony. Mrs. Breydon, Sheila, Ayamonn and the inspector arrive, and Ayamonn and the inspector argue over the meeting. Everyone except the rector attempts to convince Ayamonn not to go to the meeting, but Ayamonn ignores and leaves for the meeting anyway. Later, a crowd passes, and Dowzard and Foster seek cover from the worker mob. The rector returns, and the two men tell them to kick Ayamonn out of the vestry as he is the leader of the mob striking.

Meanwhile, the police attacked the strikers, and gunshots can be heard offstage. A crowd arrives at the church, and an injured Finnoola arrives with them and announces to them that Ayamonn has been killed. Some time passes (this is shown through the dropping of the curtain), and the stage is still set in the church. As Ayamonn’s dying words included his wish to be buried in this church, we are now witnessing his funeral. Dowzard argues with the rector that many people do not want him to be buried on their church grounds. Then, a group arrives carrying Ayamonn’s body. Sheila lays a bunch of red roses on his chest, connecting back to the title of the play ‘Red Roses for Me’.

The inspector talks to Sheila and tells her that he tried to protect Ayamonn. However, his real reason for speaking with her is that he is interested in a romance with her. This is clear, but Sheila refuses him and leaves him. The act ends with Brennan paying Samuel to leave the doors of the church open, and he sings a song for Ayamonn.

Red Roses for Me Quotes

“It’s I who know that well: when it was dark, you always carried the sun in your hand for me”

The End of the Beginning

Sean O’Casey’s play ‘The End of the Beginning’ is a one-act comedy with only three characters. It is set in rural Ireland, in the Berrill’s country house. This play is concerned with gender and how men underestimate women. The three characters are:

1. Darry is a stubborn, fat man of 55 years. He believes he is always right, is very sure of himself, and often blames his wife, Lizzie, for everything.
2. Lizzie is Darry’s wife. She is 45 years old and sensible. She takes all the challenges she faces seriously.
3. Barry, Darry’s friend and neighbour. He is the opposite of Darry as he is thin, calm, sensible, or at least more reasonable than Darry.

This play opens with Darry and Lizzie arguing whether ‘men’s work’ or ‘women’s work’ is more difficult. They then challenge each other by switching roles for the day. From the outset, we can see the theme of gender coming through. Their characteristics are shown through how they begin to swap roles: Lizzie heads straight to the meadow to do Darry’s work, while Darry starts procrastinating. Darry first fails to exercise in time with the gramophone; then Barry joins him.

The two then start practising the song they plan to sing at the Town Hall Concert entitled Down Where the Bees Are Humming. Darry then realises that he had not started his wife’s work, so he begins, however, a series of mishaps occur. Firstly, broken crockery, followed by a bleeding nose, a shattered windowpane, a fused light bulb, spilt oil from the oil drum and finally, nearly getting pulled along with the heifer to the bank beside the house. Darry fails at doing what he called ‘the women’s work’. He, therefore, loses the challenge. Meanwhile, Lissie can be heard from offstage mowing the meadow. The play ends with Lizzie coming home to find the house is a wreck… and not surprising, Darry blames her.

The lyrics and music to Darry and Barry’s song “Down Where the Bees Are Humming” can be found here.

Sean O’Casey on Screen

Our Irish Playwright Sean O’Casey’s plays have been loved worldwide, and many have been adapted for television and film.

The first of O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, Shadow of a Gunman, was occasionally adapted for television. It was televised in 1972 and starred Frank Converse and Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss. Another adaptation was made for the 1992 BBC Performance series starring Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Rea, and Bronagh Gallagher.

The second of O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy ‘Juno and the Paycock’ was adapted many times. It has been adapted into many movies, it was first adapted into a film in 1930 and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Sara Allgood, Edward Chapman, and Barry Fitzgerald. Following this, it was made into a film in 1938 starring Marie O’Neill and Harry Hutchinson, in 1960 starring Hume Cronyn and Walter Matthau, and in 1980 starring Frances Tomelty and Dudley Sutton. Following these films, the famous play was adapted for use in television series on multiple occasions, including for the BBC Saturday Night Theatre. As well as being used for television, O’Casey’s ‘Juno and the Paycock’ has also been transformed into a musical by Marc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein. The original Broadway production opened in 1959.

The third and final of O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, ‘The Plough and the Stars,’ was made into a film in 1936, directed by John Ford, and starred Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, and Barry Fitzgerald. Later, in 1979, Elie Siegmeister used the play and created an opera that premiered in New York in October of that year in the Symphony Space. More recently, in 2011, BBC Radio 3 adapted the play for broadcast production, directed by Nadia Molinari.

Finally, O’Casey’s ‘The Silver Tassie’ was made into a film in 1980 directed by Brian MacLochlainn and starred Stephen Brennan, Ray McAnally, and May Cluskey.

Sean O’Casey | His Mark on the World

Sean O’Casey made his mark in the literary and film worlds! However, he did not stop there. The fantastic Irish Playwright also left his mark on the physical world; you can visit his landmarks!

We all know the Irish can drink, so of course, there is a pub named after him. The Sean O’Casey pub is in Omaha, United States. There was once a Sean O’Casey’s bar in Dublin, Marlborough Street; however, it was sold and changed into a trad bar. 

While in Dublin, you must stop by the Sean O’Casey Community Centre. This community centre is on St. Mary’s Road, East Wall. Within this community centre, you will find the Sean O’Casey Theatre, a gym, function rooms, and much more. As Sean O’Casey is possibly Ireland’s most famous Playwright, it is only right that there is a theatre in his honour. You can learn about upcoming performances on the Sean O’Casey Theatre Facebook page.

While in Dublin, you should also check out the Sean O’Casey Bridge. This bridge, designed by architect Cyril O’Neill, was built in 2005 and opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in July. It is 97.61 metres long and joins City Quay, Grand Central Docks, and North Wall Quay. It overlooks the Liffey River, where you can admire the gorgeous water and scenery.

Sean O’Casey’s last home was at 422 North Circular Road, Dublin. The Dublin City Council bought it and is now using it as homeless accommodation. 

Awards and Recognition

This famous Irish Playwright has had much recognition for his literary genius. In 1926, he won the Hawthornden Prize for the second play of his Dublin Trilogy ‘Juno and the Paycock’. However, he declined many honours. He was offered to join the Order of the British Empire and honourary degrees from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1961, the University of Exeter in 1960, and Durham University in 1960.

Fun Facts

As a young boy, Sean O’Casey played a small part in Dion Boucicault’s play The Shaughraun at the Mechanics’ Theatre, which later became the Abbey Theatre.

O’Casey was fired from Eason’s for refusing to remove his cap when collecting his wages.

O’Casey never got to see the musical production of his second play of his Dublin Trilogy ‘Juno and the Paycock’

Sean O’Casey died on 18 September 1964 at the age of 84 of a heart attack in Torquay, Devon. He was later cremated.

In 1964, his autobiography, ‘Mirror in My House,’ was turned into a film called ‘Young Cassidy’. It was directed by Jack Cardiff and starred Rod Taylor as O’Casey, Flora Robson, Maggie Smith, and Julie Christie.

Many of Sean O’Casey’s papers are held in Universities and Libraries worldwide, including the New York Public Library, the University of California, the National Library of Ireland, and the University of London Library.

If you loved learning about the Irish Playwright Sean O’Casey, enjoy more of our blogs about famous Irish authors:

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