Talbot Senior National School

Do you know much about life for children in Dublin 100 years ago? Well, our three 6th Classes were LUCKY to be able to watch one of Ireland’s greatest young actors, Mary-Lou McCarthy (click here), perform as a 15-year old girl in the great Irish play “Me, Mollser” (click here)  The play shows us the life of Molly, a poor Dublin girl, in 1913.

1913 was a BIG year in Irish history… take a look at this brilliant RTE half-hour video (click here). (If you’re short on time, start after 4 minutes of the video.) You will soon understand how horrible life was for the poor people of Dublin. And there were A LOT of poor people in Dublin. And you will learn how they tried to fight for their rights (a better wage, health care, better housing, longer free-education… more). And you’ll learn about Bloody Sunday on O’Connell Street. Would YOU like to have lived in Dublin at that time 100 years ago?

Mary-Lou is with the Abbey Theatre–Ireland’s National Theatre (click here). That means Ireland’s best theatre… like being on the Irish soccer team, not just any team.

She and her pal Anthony Goulding gave three performances, one to each class. And they talked to us BEFORE the play and generously answered loads of questions AFTER the play. (Mr Stuart’s class asked LOADS of great questions about acting and putting on a show (click here)—clearly, a class full of talented actors. Maybe one day some of them will be acting with the Abbey Theatre?)