IRISH RESENTMEN

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1914, Page 2

IRISH RESENTMEN

ATTACK ON A PLAY. | POLICE USE THEIR BATONS. ; LONDON, February 6. ; Resentment of a wild and alarming ; sort was shown the other night by the • people of Westport (County Mayo) against the Irish comedy, "General ! John Regan." The audience's objecVtion to the piece took the form of layi ing siege. to the stage, damaging the | scenery, and attacking the actors. f Finally the police had to make a baton charge. "General John Regan" was written by "George A. Birmingham (Canon Hannay),., who was formerly vicar of Westport, and it is

suggested that the residents recognised \Vestport as the "Ballymoy" of that play. . ■ ■--%-^. The actors giro the following-ac-count of their experience in a telegram to a London paper :—"Senous prearranged riot took place by peuple in cheaper parts of house, owing to rumor previously circulated that a priest was ridiculed in the play which is incorrect. Upon priest's entrance upon stage mob rushed stage, and free fight ensued. Splendid behavior of constabulary. Hall cleared, further rioting in streets; stones and bottle throwing; baton charges; till late. hour. Disorder started before rise of curtain. None of company seriously injured. Play receded with enthusiasm m other Irish towns • crowded audiences. Westport is where author (Canon Hanna>) was vicar for many years, and party feeling chiefly responsible for disorder many characters *in play and local color bemg zdentified Vith Westport Stories of disorder in other townTinour r©C"ti*

A possible reason advanced for the outburst is that .the town of Ballymoy the scene of the comedy's fun was too like that of Westport to suit Westportians, and that the authorS°W h fl ad,P ut t? 0. many black sheep ?n 5? £° Ck 11*8^' Particularly m the. "committee" scene. There is, too, the scene where the Rev. Father iMcbormack, parish priest of Ballvh?%« »**&■ ,intV he vm *& hotel by Timothy Doyle, the proprietor, for a noice dhnnk."

"I am afraid it is of little use your askmg me for a solution of the matter, said Mr Charles Hawtrey. "As you.fcnpw- we flayed the piece here without 'throuble 5 arising—save that we may have received a letter or two questioning the propriety of the priests brief interview«rith Bacchus in Timothy Doyle's inn " IRISH SENSE OF HUMOR ivlr Edward Fitzgerald, Mr Hawtreys business man.-r-iy thought it was most probably cciiect in attribuf * riot to tlle committee scene and the priest scene. '}am ad Irishman, said Mr Fitzgev-M, "and I can easily understand the danger of taking a play like 'General John Regan' mto a place like little Westport. We Irishmen have much less sense of humor than we are often credited witn. lam pretty.certain- that the people of Westport, seeing in Ballymoy an exact copy of their own town

I fancied they saw also certain promin«nt townsmen caricatured " i-Mt Payne Seddon, who controls the* »| oWrod: "I have toured Lgland for 21 years, and never experienced like this before. It xeca^ the opgosition in DubUn to ern\ World.' You simply cannot »n count for the tesh tem^raSent.Voa would expect 'General John Regan ' to appeal particularly to the national sense of humor instead of which itprovokes a riot! The company, which,, by the way, 1S composed of Irish pavers has played m Kilkenny, Clonmel, and Galway, and although there hasbeen^hissmg from the gallery, the comedy has brought good houses. My manager put the, hissing down aloneto medical T students 3 i but perchance ■ the traelrc League may have shown; j hostility. ' •

THE IRONICAL PART. The ironical part is that Westport was not included in t<he tour Itis a smaU seaside place, and it wasonly out of recognition of the towßi having had the author of the play a* rector for about 20 years that the company visited it. Whether thelocal patriotism-• of the M& 4aS Menr hurt, whether"the^h^oriar'§&ment has been ofiPendeft; One or two referencesto Brisb priests* 1011 .might possibly have Heeh considered ofifensive by the Irish people, were not included during" the Irislt ■I' f i^u neith g* explain, nor imderstand the .caMse 4 of * this^^afen^ssive oppositioti::**^ ?i±-y>-V •-,.; -f%f£?r, Canon Hannay^satyfe- he has nevermet with any objection to the play from Irish in New York or lx>ndon. He cannot even gu«ss what the people at Westport are objecting: «•« . - • ■ . •