''On Baile's Strand'' is a play written by

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...

and first printed in '' In the Seven Woods'' published by Dun Emer Press in 1903. The play was first performed at the grand opening of the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

on 27 December 1904. The play is based around the Irish mythological hero Cuchulain.

History

The story is based on the early Irish folk story ''

Aided Óenfhir Aífe ''Aided Óenfhir Aífe'' () is a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It is a sequel to ''Tochmarc Emire'' (), in which the Ulaid hero Cú Chulainn, while training in arms overseas, left the warrior princess Aífe pregnant. In ''Aided � ...

'', but with significant changes to the tale, including the addition of a comic subplot. The play received significant revision in 1905.

1938 production

The play was performed again on the 4 April 1938. W. B. Yeats's daughter Anne Yeats designed for this second production, taking responsibility for the setting and costumes. Anne Yeats was 19 when she produced the second performance of ''On Baile's Strand''. Anne Yeats designed many character sketches in a number of notebooks she kept, which are held at the archives of the National Gallery of Ireland; these sketches include designs for ''Cuchulain'', played by

Liam Redmond Liam Redmond (27 July 1913 – 28 October 1989) was an Irish character actor known for his stage, film and television roles. Early life Redmond was one of four children born to cabinet-maker Thomas and Eileen Redmond. Educated at the Christi ...

. Other characters include: * A Blind Man (William O'Gorman) * A Fool (

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

) * Conchubar (John Stephenson) * A Young Man ( Wilfrid Brambell) * Young kings and Old Kings (Malachi Keegan, Denis O'Neill, J. Winter, F. Webster, Frank Carney, Patrick H. Considine) * Three Women (Ann Clery, Gertrude Quinn, Kathleen O'Byrne) * Servant ( Peggy Cummins)

References

External links

*
''On Baile's Strand''
direct HTML link, at

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{{W. B. Yeats Plays by W. B. Yeats 1903 plays Works based on the Ulster Cycle