The Loss of Cultural History

Translations by Brian Friel gives an insider’s view of living in Ireland during a period of unrest. However, Friel does not present the play as a political commentary, but as a cultural one. The play is set in Northern Ireland in a small village that is in the process of being surveyed and renamed, replacing Gaelic place names with English ones.

Many people are familiar with the political conflict between England and Ireland but may not know its long history. The conflict between the countries began back in 1542 when England’s Henry VIII appointed himself as King of Ireland and was supported in doing so by the English Parliament’s Crown of Ireland Act. As a result of this ruling, Irish Catholics were forced to forgo their cultural identity under the Penal Codes until the 1730s. They were not allowed to attend school, practice their religion, own land, hold public office, vote, bear arms or become the guardian of a child.

In silent protest, the Irish created “hedge schools” similar to the one seen in Translations. Originally located in hedges, caves or other hidden places, they were created to protest the English education being forced onto their people. The “hedge schools” taught traditional Irish literature and laws and Gaelic language. Unfortunately, by 1833 much of this traditional Irish education was obsolete. In 1800, the Act of Union was implemented which destroyed the Irish Parliament and forced the Irish people into two groups: Nationalists who wanted Ireland to become a sovereign state and Unionists who wanted Ireland to be a part of England. Eventually the Republic of Ireland won sovereignty in 1922 but Northern Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom today.

For more information about this subject, attend the talk back, "Ithaca and Ireland: The Loss of Cultural History Through Military and Political Suppression", on Saturday, December 8th following the 2pm performance presented by dramaturg Lucy Walker.