Heritage Island, Ireland's Visitor Attractions

Rehearsed Readings/Short Plays/Dramatisations
Begin Monday 14th May –Saturday 23rd June
Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Time 12.45pm
Admission: €8

Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre is introducing Discover Dalkey’s Literary Gems,a series of Rehearsed Readings and Short Plays beginning on May 14th at 12.45pm.The shows will be on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.Five of the weeks will feature the work of one writer. Week Four will have a compilation of writers’ work. The sessions will last no more than 50 minutes and will run until Saturday June 23rd.

Maeve Binchy: Deeply Regretted By
The programme will start on Monday May 14thwith a rehearsed reading by actors of international best-selling author and local resident, Maeve Binchy’s play ‘Deeply Regretted By…and continue on 17th and 19th. The story evolved from a real life family story that featured in the ‘Irish Times’ and was later developed by Maeve into an award-winning short play. This is an ideal opportunity to marvel at Maeve’s empathy with her characters and witness her keen ear and magical way of telling a good human interest story. The play won a number of awards for television drama including the Jacobs Award and Best Script in the Prague Television Festival.

Flann O’Brien:Week Two
This will feature the work of Flann O’Brien. On May 21st,24th and 26thscenes from ‘The Dalkey Archive’, ‘At Swim Two Birds’, ‘The Third Policeman’ and others. The hilarious Ringsend cow punching scene from ‘At Swim…’ will feature alongside some of the most famous ‘Brother’ scenes from the ‘Cruiskeen Lawn’.

George Bernard Shaw: Week Three
This will celebrate the work of George Bernard Shaw who wrote that the happiest moment if his life was when he heard he was going to live on Dalkey Hill. Michael James Ford from Bewley’s Café Theatre will direct his comedy ‘Village Wooing’ by GB Shaw on Monday 28thand Saturday June 2nd. (No show on Thursday 31st on account of the Referendum). This classic short comedy tells of two vastly mismatched young people whose hilarious verbal jousting leads to the unlikeliest of romances. There is one half day session of a major Shaw convention in Dalkey Castle on Friday June 1st.  A rehearsed reading of ‘An Elderly Gentleman’by GB Shaw will be open to the general publicthat day at 11.30am.

On Yer Bike… with Dalkey’s Writers:4th, 7th& 9th June
A compilation by Shay Linehan features a unique take on famous local writers James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, HughLeonard, Flann O’Brien, Maeve Binchy, John Millington Syngeand Joseph O’Connor in ‘On Yer Bike… with Dalkey’s Writers’. The show has a Flann O’Brien like character who is very well versed in all the literary luminaries ever associated with Dublin and Dalkey. He conjures up characters to play various well known scenes which will enlighten and entertain the audience.

James Joyce:Week Five
As this includes Bloomsday(Saturday 16th June), attention will centre on the work of James Joyce. On Monday 11th and Thursday 14ththe show will feature well-known humorous scenes from ‘Ulysses’. The audience will see scenes set on Sandymount Strand, Barney Kiernan’s Pub and the bedroom at 7 Eccles Street for part of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy.
The Dalkey Schoolroom Scene from Nestor episode of ‘Ulysses’ will be dramatised in the Heritage Centre on Saturday June 16that 15.30. This will be followed by a Guided Joycean Walk for those attending.

Hugh Leonard
The season will finish with a newly discovered play by HughLeonard about the fits ups (travelling theatre companies) in Ireland called ‘Magicality’ on Monday 18th Thursday 21st and Saturday 23rd June. In true Leonard fashion this brings humour and pathos to a scenario that was all too prevalent in Ireland in the 40s and 50s when the fit up touring companies travelled around Ireland putting ‘wild ideas into the heads of the local youth’!

All shows start at 12.45 and end by 13.45.
Admission is €8for each show.
Tokens are available for discount lunch on the day in local restaurants with admission ticket.
Free Guided Literary Walk in Dalkey for participants will occur at 3.00 pm on the days of the show.
Booking at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Tel 01 285 8366 or email maeve@dalkeycastle.com

Want to take a Virtual Visit of Dalkey Heritage Town? You can see what many attractions are like before visiting with this 360 degree view! Click on the button below to see:

May 1st - August 31st: 10.00-18.00 everyday; Closed Tuesdays

They are alive and well and living at Dalkey Castle from May 1st. See the Dalkey Tudors as they go about their daily lives while under the shadow of the world's most notorious royal.
Living History Live Performances daily from 10.00-18.00 everyday (except Tuesdays). These performances take place every half hour. Larger Groups can book for one hour. Please Note: Numbers on each tour are limited. Check availability before arrival as tours can be fully booked in advance by group bookings.

Henry VIII’s pressure to father a male heir forces a confrontation with Rome, which ends with the establishment of the Church of England, with Henry VIII as its head. Meanwhile the local castles at Carrickmines, Bulloch, Shanganagh and Monkstown steered a loyal path in all things except religion. English rule predominated and in 1536 The Act of Supremacy was passed by the Irish Parliament. The confiscation of Church land followed.

Both the Anglo Irish and Native Irish resisted Protestantism. Henry VIII did not want to waste money on war in Ireland. So in 1541, he tried to gain possession of Ireland by peaceful means, using a system of Surrender and Re-grant. The Irish lords were to recognise the King as sovereign of Ireland - he gave them a title, they swore an oath of loyalty to the King and received their land back from him! This was a very clever scheme as the lords’ lands became forfeit if they were found guilty of treason.

Contact: Tel: 01 285 8366  E-mail: info(at)dalkeycastle.com WEB: www.dalkeycastle.com