OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  Lady Gregory 

• Setting

  Mrs. Broderick's general store.

• Synopsis

  Mrs. Broderick leaves her neighbour in charge of her shop while she appears in court over a debt of £10. A South African stranger enters the store and enquires after the jackdaw in Mrs. Broderick's possession, which he purchases for £10. The stranger turns out to be Mrs. Broderick's estranged brother who wished to give her the money without hurting her feelings. The townspeople, however, hears of the price the paid for the jackdaw and resolve to capture as many of the species as possible for export to South Africa. The real story behind the purchase eventually comes to light.

• Play Type

  Plays General
  

  Number Of Acts

  One Act

Cast size

• Male

  4

• Female

  2

• Total

  6

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  23 February 1907

• Producer

  Produced by Abbey Theatre/Amharclann na Mainistreach

• Original Venue

  Abbey Theatre/Amharclann na Mainistreach
  

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the original production programme and Ireland's Abbey Theatre: A History 1899-1951 by Lennox Robinson, with additional information from press cuttings of the time.