OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  Sheila Flitton  Dave Flitton 

• Setting

  Beezie Island, Lough Gill, Co. Sligo.

• Synopsis

  Beezie Gallagher was, for over sixty years, the sole resident of an island on Lough Gill, County Sligo. Born in the 1870s and orphaned in her teens, Beezie's wisdom, robust humour and fierce independence gained her a reputation as a healer, wise woman and witch.

  This play tells of her youth, her friendship with the young W.B. Yeats (he wrote of her in his poem "The Lonely One"), and her brief marriage in middle life. She relives the crisis of her old age, when the Great Freeze of 1947 left her marooned and starving. The joy of her rescue turns to tragedy as she is consigned to the County Home. There, authority in the shape of a flinty Reverend Mother attempts to relieve her of her pension book and her cherished freedom. Beezie's campaign of resistance is moving and hilarious, her escape by night a triumph of ingenuity and resilience. Twelve months later, Beezie died alone on her beloved Island.

• Play Type

  Plays General
  

  Number Of Acts

  Full-Length

Cast size

• Female

  1

• Total

  1

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  October 1984

• Production Notes

  Produced by Merlin Productions as part of the ComteporÉire Festival.

• Original Venue

  The Damer Hall/An Damer
  

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the play's original production programme.