The life and death of Meath poet Francis Ledwidge continues to fascinate. His involvement with the political movements of the day, labour and the Irish Volunteers, together with his enlisting in the British Army and his death on the battlefield of France, makes him an enigmatic character.
He is sometimes caricatured as a "peasant poet" but he is much more than that. Liam O'Meara is one of those who has done most to ensure that Ledwidge is not forgotten and that his stature as a poet is recognized. This staging of Liam's drama should be well worth seeing.
To One Dead, The Life of Francis Ledwidge, Poet, Soldier, Lover by Liam O'Meara in The Pearse Theatre, 27 Pearse Street Dublin 2. Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th September 2013. Featuring Frank Allen, Glenn Gannon, Ken Fletcher, Natasha Duffy, Niamh Kavanagh, John Smyth, Tomás Gleeson.
Doors Open 7.30pm, Show starts 8pm. Admission €10. Phone 0864099148
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The tragic saga of Francis Ledwidge was brought to life in the Pearse Theatre on Thursday last when the play To One Dead was performed in front of a full house. After a slow start on the previous Monday the word had spread across the city and Ledwidge enthusiasts began to crowd into the theatre. Francis Ledwidge was sensitively played by Tomás Gleeson who delivered ten of Ledwidge's poems to perfection as part of the play. Natasha Duffy played the part of a feisty Ellie Vaughey, but the key performance in the show was played by Niamh Kavanagh who played three parts, Ellie's bridesmaid, an English nurse and a French maid on the war-front where Ledwidge went for rest and recreation. The whole play was topped off by the use of two film clips, one of the battle of Gallipoli and one of the 1916 Rebellion, both of which were relevant to the story of Francis Ledwidge's life.
Captions......
(1) Fr. Devas (Frank Allen) annoints Francis Ledwidge (Tomás Gleeson) at the end of the play.
(2) Francis Ledwidge (Tomás Gleeson) kisses the hand of a French maid ( Niamh Kavanagh) in a French café near the war front in 1917.
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