''A Cry from Heaven'' is a 2005 play by Irish playwright

Vincent Woods Vincent Woods (born 1960) is an Irish poet and playwright. His life Woods was born in County Leitrim. He studied Journalism in the College of Commerce, Rathmines. Woods lived in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia and worked as a jour ...

. It retells the story of the beautiful

Deirdre Deirdre ( , Irish: ; sga, Derdriu ) is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" (). Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-know ...

and the Sons of

Usna The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...

which is one of the great tragedies of Irish myth. The birth of a girl heralded by omens of a vulture-shrouded sky begins the drama of King

Conchobar mac Nessa Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulaid, Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, near Armagh). He is usually said to be the son of the High King of Ireland, High King Fachtna Fáthach, ...

and his obsession with Deirdre which led to a land divided. When Deirdre unites with her lover

Naoise In Irish mythology, Naisi,"Deirdre and Naisi". In: Thomas, Edward. ''Celtic stories''. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1911. pp. 48-60. Noíse or Noisiu (modern spelling: Naoise ) was the nephew of King Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster, and a son of Ui ...

and goes into exile with the Sons of Usna, the stage is set for betrayal and bloodthirsty revenge that will plunge all

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

into darkness. The play is drawn from material in the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly coun ...

. Woods's poetic retelling of the myth of Deirdre transforms this timeless story into a compelling contemporary drama. The play had its world premiere at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, in June 2005. It was directed by

Olivier Py Olivier Py (; born 24 July 1965 in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French stage director, actor and writer. Career In 1997, Py became director of the Centre dramatique national d'Orléans. In 2007, he became director of the Théâtre de l'Odéon ...

, and designed by Pierre-André Weitz. The cast featured Kelly Campbell as

, Alan Turkington as

Olwen Fouéré Olwen Fouéré (born March 2, 1954) is an Irish actress and writer/director in theatre, film and visual arts. She was born in Galway, Ireland to Breton parents Yann Fouéré and Marie-Magdeleine Mauger. In 2020, she was listed at number 22 on ...

as Ness, Denis Conway as Fergus,

Bosco Hogan John Bosco Hogan (born March 1949) is an Irish stage, film, and television actor. He is well known as the character Dr. Michael Ryan on the television programme ''Ballykissangel''. He appeared in a minor role as convicted felon George Saden in J ...

as Felim, Gabrielle Reidy as

Leabharcham Leabharcham was a wise old woman of Emain Macha in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She was charged by the Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa with nursing Deirdre in seclusion until the girl was old enough to be his bride, after it was proph ...

Barry McGovern Barry McGovern (born 1948) is an Irish stage, film and television actor. He was educated at Castleknock College, Dublin. Background McGovern is a former member of the RTÉ Players and the Abbey Theatre Company. He has worked in theatre, film, r ...

Cathbad Cathbad () or Cathbhadh (modern spelling) is the chief druid in the court of King Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. He features in both accounts of Conchobar's birth, in one of which he is the king's father. In the first ...

the druid, Ciarán Taylor as

Conor Conor is a male given name of Irish origin. The meaning of the name is "Lover of Wolves" or "Lover of Hounds". '' Conchobhar/Conchubhar'' or from the name ''Conaire'', found in Irish legend as the name of the high king Conaire Mór and other hero ...

, Peter Gaynor as Ainle,

Aidan Turner Aidan Turner (born 19 June 1983) is an Irish actor. He played the roles of Ross Poldark in the 2015–2019 BBC adaptation of ''The Poldark Novels'' by Winston Graham, Dante Gabriel Rossetti in ''Desperate Romantics'', Ruairí McGowan in '' Th ...

Ardán ''Ardán'' is a weekly Irish language chat show produced by RTÉ for TG4. It is presented by Páidí Ó Lionáird and is broadcast on Sundays at 20:30. Overview ''Ardán'' (pronounced ''/'ɔrdɔ:n/'', and meaning "platform") has been on the TG4 ...

, Tony McKenna as

White Bull White Bull ( Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Ská) (April 1849 – June 21, 1947) was the nephew of Sitting Bull, and a famous warrior in his own right. White Bull participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. Early life Born in t ...

, Charlie Kranz as Black Bull, and Shane Gately as Red Branch Soldier.

Reviews

A Review by Harvey O'Brien
Irish plays 2005 plays Works based on the Ulster Cycle {{2000s-play-stub