Plays

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O'Flaherty, V.C.

A Recruiting Pamphlet

OVERVIEW

  • Playwright

    George Bernard (GB) Shaw 

  • Setting

    Summer 1915, outside Sir Pearce Madigan's Country House, Ireland.

  • Synopsis

    Having been awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroics in Flanders, Private O'Flaherty returns home to Ireland to take part in recruitment campaign. He has neglected to tell his mother, a fervent Fenian, that he is fighting for the British Crown. His sweetheart, meanwhile, is determined that her man secure her a substantial war pension, irrespective of the dangers involved.

  • Play Type

    Plays General

    Number Of Acts

    One Act

  • Cast Size Male

    2

  • Cast Size Female

    2

Original Production

  • Date of First Production

    21 June 1920

  • Production Notes

    First produced by the Deborah Bierne Irish Players.
  • Producer

  • Original Venue


  • Venue Notes

    First presented at the 39th Street Theatre, New York.

  • Irish Premiere Notes

    'O'Flaherty V.C' was originally written for the Abbey Theatre and was announced for production there in November 1915. It was quickly withdrawn because of circumstances surrounding the war and the threat of audiences rioting.

Original Cast  
Private Dennis O'Flaherty, V.C. P.J. Kelly
Teresa Driscoll Mollie O'Carroll
General Sir Pearce Madigan Emmet O'Reilly
Mrs O'Flaherty Máire Roden-Quinn

Published Scripts

  • Title

    The Bodley Head Bernard Shaw: Volume 4

  • Year

    1972

  • Published By

    The Bodley Head

  • Address

    England

  • ISBN

    0370013905

Rights Information

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from The Bodley Head Bernard Shaw (Volume 4). Additional information was taken from C.L. & V.M. Broad's 'Dictionary of the Plays and Novels of Bernard Shaw' and from the New York Times Online Archive.