St. Brigids recent production “Is the Priest at home” reminds me that the Group is twenty-one years of age, and perhaps it’s coincidental that they should celebrate its coming of age with a repeat of its most successful play.

Founded by a small group of enthusiasts in 1948 it was to fulfil a long felt want for young people from the far winds who come to take up posts in the town as teachers, bank clerks,, gardai, shop assistants etc.

Prior to this the town had only one Drama Group – St. Phil’s – directed by Miss Nancy McCarthy and one Musical Group – the Operatic Society under the two Misses McGough.

It was a prepaid in the “Drogheda Independent” which called a meeting in Clifford’s Café, now McAllister’s in West Street, on the 11th November of that year, and from the large attendance and interest shown the new group looked like having a good future in store for it. Pros and Cons of producing various plays were discussed and the meeting decided to present Lennox Robinson’s “Drama at Inish” in the spring of 1949. No group name was selected at this first meeting and the following committee was elected. Mr. Matt Foley, prime mover in founding the group, was the first Hon. Secretary. Miss Kathleen Bateson Hon. Tres. Miss Aggie O’Grady producer, and the rest of the committee was Mary McCabe NT., Nancy Allen, Stephen Daly, John Mannion, Jimmy Flanagan and Jim Garry.

After “Drama at Inish” was cast rehearsals took place in the Drill Hall Duke St. in the Foresters Hall and in member’s own houses and in February 1949 the play went on for two nights in the Whitworth Hall.

Here was a new Drama Group presenting itself to a public audience for the first time, with a certain amount of speculation, mixed reaction and curiosity. The latter was all the greater when several of the cast were making their debut before the footlights. They were John Mannion, Evelyn McCabe (Ah sure call me Annie!) Aggie O’Grady, Jimmy Bligh, Jimmy Flanagan, Nancy Allen, Matt Foley, Ursula Cooney, Stephen Daly, Alice Hodgins, Jim Garry, John Dalton and Edward Morris. Behind scenes were Mona Watson, Bridie Garvey and Brid Murphy, while Brian McDonnell was Stage manager and old John Moore did the make-up.

The “Drogheda Independent” and “The Argus” were loud in their praise and encouragement at the Groups first success and the proceeds (£25) were later handed over to the Maynooth Building Fund. Soon afterwards the group which was referred to in the local papers as “The babes”, decided on the name
“St.Brigids” and went ahead and produced Edward Percy’s “Shop at Sly Corner” with the additional talent of new members Gerry McDonagh, Mary Kiernan, Patsy Mullen and Kevin Kearney. The play deals with blackmail and murder and of a criminal’s love for his daughter, and was well received by small audiences in the Whitworth Hall.

Apart from the acting, the setting and props by Brian McDonnell was the best seen on a stage in Drogheda, with an opening fireplace to reveal the furnace used by the Fence to melt down the “loot”. Brian recently told me he would like to do that setting again sometime, as a lot of people expressed disappointment at not seeing the play.

When the 1951 season started some members had joined the new “Panto” Society and took part in its first production “Cinderella” in the Gate Cinema. In the meantime Messer’s Tommy Matthews and Pat Kierans and Mrs. D. Comyn had approached Sgt. Brigids with a new play on the life of Blessed (now Saint)
Martin de Porres in aid of the local Dominican Church Renovation Fund.

Miss O’ Grady assembled a cast of twenty-four and after sixteen weeks rehearsals “City of Kings” was presented to packed houses in the Whitworth Hall for four nights. As well as the large cast there was an orchestra of twelve and to add the essential touch of devotion and reverence to the whole performance with selections between scenes.

An outstanding performance by Billy Roche, a local shop assistant, in the role of Brother Martin was deserving of great tributes and he received a standing ovation each night. Aggie O’ Grady reached a high standard in her production and St. Brigids felt the taste of success.

About this time the Group rented rooms in the Gate Club in Laurence Street, and started a record-hop or disco club every Sunday night with members acting as DJs. This was the first such club in Drogheda and provided the group with new members as well as funds and publicity.

Early in 1952 “The Ghost Train” was presented to small audiences in the now very cold Whitworth Hall, and the play was also presented in Duleek in aid of the Boxing Club. New members who took part were Messer’s Paddy Reid, Peter Conroy, Harry O’Neill, Gerry Curran, Seamus Carty and Alan Doyle, Misses Rose McKenna and Ina Kelly.

In August the group went into rehearsals with “Mungos Mansion” by Walter Mackin and presented it in December. They also toured to Dunleer, Carlingford, Trim and Duleek and a final performance took place in April during the “An Tostal” festival. This was the last time the Group staged a play in the Whitworth Hall – a venue, which was never comfortable for play goers. St Phils had moved with their award winning “Tolka Row” to the Gate Cinema and St. Brigids decided to do likewise with future performances.

In the meantime membership had increased somewhat and to try these, four one-act plays were staged in the Drill Hall, Duke St., two comedies and two tragedies. A popular feature of this program was Bernard Duffys most amusing play “The Spell” which deals with a tinkers dream concerning fairies and banshees and Peter Conry gave an excellent piece of individual acting at the tinker, with Evelyn McCabe as his stage wife and Alice Hodgins as the Fairy Queen. Peter, who was engaged to Alice at the time, brought down the house with his impromptu remarks. “It’ll be well for the man that gets you”.

Three months after this in May 1954 the Group staged “Golden Priest” a play on the life of Blessed Oliver Plunket, in the Gate Cinema. This was the flop of the decade and left the Group in the red to the tune of €100. This was cleared off in four months time by members making their own contributions and by raffles, jumble sales and other means.

The Group was now faced with problems of transfers and marriages and members joining other Groups. During the Summer, play reading went on in the hope of selecting a suitable piece for the next season. One member brought along a play, which he got direct from Belfast. It was Joe Tomelty’s latest “Is the Priest at Home?”, and members agreed it had all the appearance of a box office success if produced by the Group.

Readings took place and difficulties arose. The producer wouldn’t touch it and there were mixed feelings among members who thought it might offend against good taste and manners with references to Priests and people and the sacrament of Marriage. So the play was abandoned at a general meeting in October 1954 and founder member Stephen Daly N.T. was appointed producer.

He went on to rehearse “Autumn Fire” which turned out to be unsuitable and in December it was announced that “Is the Priest at Home?”, would be staged in March.
It opened in the Gate Cinema for three nights on the 28th of February 1955 and played to packed hous es each night. Incidentally, O’Casey’s “The Bishops Bonfire” opened in Dublin on the same night.

“The Priest” was billed as stimulating, controversial and bold and the performances got rave notices in the local papers. Seamus McBrearty was the “Curate! to perfection with Harry O’Neill as Father Malan, supported by Aggie O’Grady, Maureen Timoney, Nancy Moore, Winnie Ryan, Mick Byrne, Kieran Sweeney, Cathal Barr, Jim McDonnell and the late Jim Sheridan.

Disappointed playgoers had another opportunity at seeing “The Priest” when it was performed for the Lourdes Hospital Building Fund and it toured all over Louth, Meath and Monaghan for the next few weeks.

St. Brigids now seven-year-old had reached the peak of perfection and could relax. Later that year they sponsored the first visit to Drogheda of the Radio Eireann Light Orchestra.

Since then they have presented Drogheda with such note worthy plays as “Boyds Shop”, “My Three Angels”, “The Will and the Way”, “They got what they wanted”, “Autumn Fire”, “Lovers meeting”, “Home is the Hero”, “The Bugle in the Blood” and J.B. Keane’s “Many young men of Twenty”.

The Groups president Rev. M.C. Walsh C.C., always put forward the idea that St. Brigids was a “home from home” for its members, and it has always live up the that reputation.

James Garry