George Shiels (24 June 1881 – 19 September 1949) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

whose plays were a success both in his native

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 ...

and 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 ...

. His most famous plays are ''The Rugged Path'', ''The Passing Day'', and ''The New Gossoon''.

Biography

Shiels was born to Robert Shiels and Eileen (née MacSweeney) in

Ballymoney Ballymoney ( ga, Baile Monaidh , meaning 'townland of the moor') is a small town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The civil parish of Ballymoney is situated in ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, and emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as a young man. While working on the building of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

in 1913, he was involved in a serious accident that left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He returned to Ballymoney and started a shipping company with his brother, and also began writing at this time. Starting with poems and short stories, he soon progressed to plays, which he provided to the Ulster Literary Theatre under the pen name of ''George S. Morsheils''. Starting with ''Bedmates'' (1921), his plays began to be regularly accepted by the Abbey Theatre for production. His 1930 work ''The New Gossoon'' was so well-received that the Abbey's touring company, The Abbey Theatre Irish Players, brought the play to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

for limited runs three times, in 1932, 1934, and 1937. In 1940, a production of Shiels' ''The Rugged Path'' set an Abbey record by attracting a total audience of 25,000 people over eight weeks. When his success as a playwright allowed him, he left the shipping business and moved to

Carnlough Carnlough ( ; ) is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in Mid and East Antrim district, as well the historic barony of Glenarm Lower, and the civil parishes of Ardclinis and Tickmacrevan. It had a population of 1,512 peopl ...

on the coast of County Antrim, where he lived from 1932 until his death in 1949.

Works

* ''Moodie in Manitoba'' (1918) * ''Away from the Moss'' (1918) * ''Felix Reid and Bob'' (or ''The Simpleston'') (1919) * ''The Tame Drudge'' (or ''The Drudge'') (1920) * ''Bedmates'' (1921) * ''Insurance Money'' (1921) * ''Paul Twyning'' (1922) * ''First Aid'' (1923) * ''The Retrievers'' (1924) * ''Professor Tim'' (1925) - filmed as ''Professor Tim'' (1957) * ''Cartney & Kevney'' (1927) * ''Mountain Dew'' (1929) * ''The New Gossoon'' (1930) - filmed as ''

Sally's Irish Rogue ''Sally's Irish Rogue '' is a 1958 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Julie Harris, Harry Brogan and Tim Seely. It was based on the play ''The New Gossoon'' by George Shiels, and was released in the U.S. as ''The Poach ...

'' (1958) * ''Grogan and the Ferret'' (1933) * ''The Passing Day'' (1936) * ''The Jailbird'' (1936) *''Quin's Secret'' (1937) *''Neal Maquade'' (1938) - later revised as ''Macook's Corner'' (1942) *''Give Him a House'' (1939) *''The Rugged Path'' (1940) *''The Summit'' (1941) *''The Fort Field'' (1942) *''The New Regime'' (1944) *''The Old Broom'' (1944) *''Tenants at Will'' (or ''The Brink of Famine'') (1945) *''Borderwine'' (1946) *''Mountain Post'' (1948) *''The Caretakers'' (1948) *''Slave Drivers'' *''Tully's Experts''

External links

Biography at Ballymoney Borough Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiels, George 1881 births 1949 deaths Abbey Theatre Irish male dramatists and playwrights People from Ballymoney 20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century male writers

Biography

Works

See also

External links