This year marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey Theatre (Amharclann na Mainistreach), Ireland’s National Theatre. From its opening on December 27th 1904, it could claim, despite its vicissitudes over the years, to have the oldest and most distinguished reputation in its varied contribution to stage entertainment and play writing, writes Nuala Holloway.

 

In 1899, The Irish Literary Theatre was founded by Lady Augusta Gregory, Edward Martyn, W.B. Yeats and George Moore. It presented plays in the Antient Concert Rooms and the Gaiety Theatre which brought critical approval but limited public interest. William and Frank Fay formed the Irish National Dramatic Company which continued to stage plays around the city. In 1903 this became the Irish National Theatre Society. Its extensive programme of touring abroad and high visibility to foreign audiences, especially to American audiences, helped bring attention to Irish actors and Irish playwrights as well as helping the Irish tourist industry.

When the movement for the Preservation of the Irish language, helped by Douglas Hyde, grew stronger from the 1890’s onwards, it helped stimulate intellectual activity in both Irish and English. One of its effects was to turn its writers of the time to their cultural inheritance and to question the lives of their own people and use it in their writings. The imaginations of W.B. Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory were fired by the wealth of Irish mythology and folklore.

This great ferment of these little groups and other cultural bodies in Dublin around the turn of the century arose from an ardent desire for, and the almost complete lack of any really excellent expression of the Arts. However, a proper and well-equipped theatre became a necessary requirement.

In London, Yeats had become friendly with the British heiress, Miss Annie Horniman. She became interested in his work and provided him with financial help for his play, The Land of Heart’s Desire at London’s Avenue Theatre in 1894. Yeats confided to a friend that Miss Horniman had given most generously ‘thousands to help certain artistic purposes which she loves passionately’. He believed that perhaps one day she would help him realise his dreams for Ireland to have its own National Theatre.

W.B. Yeats encouraged her to come to Ireland. By now Ireland was in the grips of a literary and theatrical renaissance. On 6th April 1904, Joseph Holloway, writing in his diaries, recalls her arrival in Ireland. He writes, ‘I strolled over to Camden Street to a committee meeting, the news had come through that Miss Horniman was coming from England to sign a contract to take over the Hibernian Theatre of Varieties at Abbey Street and turn it into a first class theatre at her own expense’.

There was a great air of excitement from all present which included W.B. Yeats, W.G. Fay, Stephen Gwynn and George Russell. Joseph Holloway was appointed to be the architect.

On the Sunday evening, 10th April Holloway recalls how he met her by appointment at the Standard Hotel, a quiet temperance hotel in Harcourt Street, with his first plan sketches for the Abbey Theatre. The following day, they went to see the site which was then the city morgue. The meeting was not welcomed by the manager who asked them to leave calling them ‘land grabbers’.
Horniman told Yeats, ‘I can only afford to make a very little theatre and it must be simple’. Talent and enthusiasm were in abundance but resources were meagre and money was non–existent. Therefore, Annie’s presence and money was doubly welcome.

Having purchased the site of the Mechanics theatre, a licence had to be obtained. She learnt that the petitioner must be domiciled in Ireland. Yeats wired his friend, Lady Augusta Gregory of Coole, Co. Sligo, asking her to be a patentee because she was a ‘resident of good standing’ in Ireland. She agreed to stand in for Miss Annie Horniman as long as she would not incur any financial burden.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own