OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  T.C. Murray 

• Setting

  Somewhere near Macroom, rural County Cork

• Synopsis

  In 'Maurice Harte' the main character suffers a nervous breakdown resulting from family pressure, manifesting in the Irish devotion to the priesthood as a source of both religious honour and social status. Ellen Harte, Maurice’s mother, wants a priest in the family. Maurice wants something other than what his family does. “Tisn’t to-day not yesterday I realised my own nature . . . But I buried my wretched secret in my soul.” This is the root conflict in the play. Maurice receives no support from either his family or the local parish priest, Father Mangan. The results for Maurice are tragic and heartwrenching.

• Play Type

  Plays General
  

  Number Of Acts

  Full-Length

Cast size

• Male

  5

• Female

  2

• Total

  7

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  20 June 1912

• Producer

  Produced by Abbey Theatre/Amharclann na Mainistreach

• Original Venue

  The Royal Court Theatre
  

• Venue Notes

  The Abbey premiered three new plays at The Royal Court Theatre, London in 1912. 'Maurice Hart' was the first ever Abbey production to premiere outside of Dublin.

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. The synopsis was provided by Martin Munroe.