OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  St. John Greer Ervine 

• Setting

  Kitchen of John Cairns' cottage, Co. Down<br> The afternoon of a day in July

• Synopsis

  A meditation on emigration through the thoughts of John Cairns, an elderly Ulster cobbler. When Robert McGrum, an old love rival of his from earlier times, returns from America extravagantly rich but desperately ill, Cairns chooses to interpret his physical sufferings as an indictment of American materialism. Cairns' son, on the other hand, fed up with the political bickering between Republicans and Orangemen and eager to move on with the rest of his life, emerges as an ideal candidate for emigration...

• Play Type

  Plays General
  

  Number Of Acts

  One Act

Cast size

• Male

  3

• Female

  1

• Total

  4

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  12 October 1920

• Producer

  Produced by Abbey Theatre/Amharclann na Mainistreach

• Original Venue

  Abbey Theatre/Amharclann na Mainistreach
  

Source Of Information

Information for this entry has come from the original company programme and from press reviews of the premiere production.