Recalling the 'Countess' in Cloughjordan
The filming of WB Yeats' play 'Countess Cathleen' brought great excitement to Cloughjordan in the year 1999.
It was part of a trilogy of films made by Amergin films at that time, which adapted plays written by WB Yeats including 'The Cat and the Moon' (directed by Patrick Bergin), 'Calvary' and 'The Countess Cathleen' (both directed by Paula Fraser-Bergin). The films, made primarily for students of Irish literature in colleges worldwide, were produced by Patrick Bergin and Gerry McColgan.
'Countess Cathleen', or 'Cathleen Nà Houlihan', was one of the most influential plays of the Irish literary revival. It was based on the traditional ‘aisling', which personified Ireland as an inspirational woman. Maud Gonne was a huge success in her role as Kathleen in the original 1902 production. Yeats was later to reflect: “Did that play of mine send out / certain men the English shot?†(lines from the poem 'The Man and the Echo').
Over one hundred local people were involved in the making of the film, mainly in the role of victims of the Great Famine and in other roles supporting professional actors. Filming took place in a number of locations in the Cloughjordan area and, in order to control the light, the ‘extras' came together after dark, to perform under powerful lights, through the expert direction of Paula. The experience is fondly remembered by those who took part, many as young children, who now have a story to tell their own family.
A photographic record of the event was made by professional photographer Tom Doherty and that collection has kindly been made available for exhibition at the Thomas MacDonagh Museum in Cloughjordan. The exhibition will include many other photographs taken at that time by Patrick Bergin's wife Paula, and friends and family members of the cast.
The exhibition of photographs from the filming of 'The Countess Cathleen' will be launched by Patrick Bergin, with a showing of the film this Sunday (August 6th) at 7.30pm. The exhibition will run for the month of August. The management of the Thomas MacDonagh Museum is grateful to Patrick for his help and support with this project.
The organisers would be grateful for help in identifying people from Cloughjordan, Ardcroney, Borrisokane, Lorrha, Nenagh, Toomevara, Ballymackey, Dunkerrin, Roscrea, Portroe and Birdhill, who appear in the photographs.