''The Field'' is a play written by

John B. Keane John Brendan Keane (21 July 1928 – 30 May 2002) was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, County Kerry. Biography A son of a national school teacher, William B. Keane, and his wife Hannah (née Purtill), Keane was ed ...

, first performed in 1965. It tells the story of the hardened Irish farmer "Bull" McCabe and his love for the land he rents. The play debuted at

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

's Olympia Theatre in 1965, with Ray McAnally as "The Bull" and Eamon Keane as "The Bird" O'Donnell. The play was published in 1966 by Mercier Press. A new version with some changes was produced in 1987. A

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

was released in 1990, directed by

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed two critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, '' My Left Foot'' and '' In the Name of the Father'', and later directed the fi ...

with

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

in the lead role. John B. Keane based the story on the 1958 murder of Moss Moore, a bachelor farmer living in Reamore,

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

. Dan Foley, a neighbour with whom Moore had a long-running dispute, was suspected of the murder, but the charges were denied by Foley's family.Fuil agus Dúch
Broadcast on TG4, 22 Mar 2007 at 10 p.m. GMT.

Plot

''The Field'' is set in a small country

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in southwest

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. Rugged individualist Bull McCabe has spent five hard years of labour cultivating a small plot of rented land, nurturing it from barren rock into a fertile field. When the owner of the field decides to auction it, he believes that he has a claim to the land. The McCabes intimidate most of the townspeople out of bidding in the auction, to the chagrin of auctioneer Mick Flanagan, but Galwayman William Dee arrives from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, where he has lived for many years, with a plan to cover the field with concrete and extract gravel from the adjacent river. An encounter between William and the McCabes ends in William's death and a cover-up.

Characters

* Thady "The Bull" McCabe - The play's main character and anti-hero, Bull is as strong as a cow - and just as powerful. Having grazed and rented Maggie Butler's field for five years, along with his son Tadhg, Bull believes he is the rightful owner. * Tadhg McCabe - Bull's son and faithful companion, who too shares his father's passion of land. * " The Bird" O'Donnell - A mischievous calf buyer and a regular at Flanagan's pub, Bird is an acquaintance of The McCabes.' Con Man. * Mick Flanagan - The local publican and auctioneer, Mick is mendacious and sly and is another acquaintance of the McCabes, who attempts to help them secure the field. * Maimie Flanagan - Mick's younger wife and the mother of his nine children. Maimie is flirtatious and charming and has a bitter, strained relationship with her husband, whilst maintaining a strong relationship with her eldest son Leamy. * Maggie Butler - An elderly widow, who has rented her late husband's field to The McCabes for the past five years. Maggie is frail and destitute and wishes to put the field up for public auction, much to the McCabes' disgust. * William Dee - A young Galway man, who has been living in England for twelve years. Considered an "outsider", William decides to bid against the Bull McCabe for Maggie Butler's field. * Leamy Flanagan - Mick and Maimie's eldest son. * Dandy McCabe - The Bull McCabe's first cousin, who, unlike Bull, is honest and jovial. * Mrs. McCabe - Dandy's wife, to whom he has been married to for twenty years. * Tom Leahy - The local sergeant, investigating the death of a donkey. * Fr Murphy - The local PP

Film version

Jim Sheridan directed a film version in 1990. Richard Harris received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for his portrayal. Most characters in the film were different from the play but the film only retained The Bull, The Bird and Tadhg. Some events in the play were also changed in the film.

Notes

References

"John B Keane"
doolee.com. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
"The Field"
mercierpress.i.e. Retrieved January 26, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Field 1965 plays Irish plays adapted into films Plays set in Ireland