Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann National Library of Ireland Collection List No. 75 Sean O’Casey Papers (MS 37,807 - MS 38,173, MS L 93) Accession No. 5716 Correspondence between Sean O’Casey and academics, agents, writers, theatre producers, actors, friends, fans and others. Also; copy articles, notes, sketches and proofs, along with press cuttings and production programmes from Ireland, Britain, Europe and North America. Compiled by Jennifer Doyle, 2003 Table of Contents Introduction 4 Select Bibliography 8 I. Correspondence 9 I.i. Academics, Students & Librarians 9 I.ii. Actors 39 I.iii. Agents & Publishers 45 I.iv. Artists, Designers & Musicians 66 I.v. Awards and Honours 70 I.vi. Business and Financial Affairs 72 I.vi.1. Domestic 72 I.vi.2 Royalties & Tax 73 I.vii. Clerics 77 I.viii. Critics 82 I.ix. Family 90 I.x. Fan Mail and Unsolicited Letters 92 I.xi. Friends 104 I.xii. Gaelic League and St Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band 111 I.xiii. Invitations and Requests 114 I.xiii.1. Political 114 I.xiii.2. Charitable 124 I.xiii. 3. Literary 126 I.xiii. 4 Social 137 I.xiv. Labour Movement 140 I.xv. Magazines and Periodicals 150 I.xvi. Newspapers 166 I.xvii. Theatre, Film and other Productions 181 I.xvii.1 Theatre Producers & Directors (alphabetically by individual) 198 I.xvii.2. Film & Recording 220 I.xvii.3. Television and Radio 224 I. xviii. Translations 232 I.xix. Women 236 I.xx. Writers - Aspiring 240 I.xxi. Writers 241 I.xxi.1. Union of Soviet Writers 257 II. Notes, Articles, Autobiographies, Plays and Music 258 2 III. Press Cuttings 269 IV. Production Programmmes 277 V. Production Posters 299 VI. Miscellaneous Items 300 3 Sean O’Casey Papers (MS 37,807 - MS 38,173) Introduction Born John Casey to a poor, Protestant, Dublin family, on 30 March 1880, despite ill- health and an erratic formal education, Sean O’Casey (1880 - 1964), became one of Ireland’s best-known and controversial writers. Having started his career as a messenger boy, he became a successful writer at a relatively late stage in his life. However, he was a very prolific author and has written eighteen full-length plays, seven one-act plays, four unproduced early plays, in addition to a six volume autobiography as well as numerous articles, letters and short stories. O’Casey continued writing until shortly before his death; The Atlantic Monthly published his last article, ‘The Bald Primaqueera’, posthumously in 1965. He continues to be best- known for his early Dublin plays: The Shadow of a Gunman (Abbey, Dublin, 1923); Juno and The Paycock (Abbey, Dublin, 1924); The Plough and The Stars (Abbey, Dublin, 1926); the success of these works were of great benefit to the precarious finances of the National Theatre. As a young man O’Casey was active in the Gaelic League, the St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band and the Irish Citizen Army. An ardent admirer of Labour leader, Jim Larkin, he had a keen sense of justice for workers and the poor, which informed much of his work. Religion and politics were also major influences in his life - he railed against the Catholic Church and professed himself to be anti-clerical though not anti- Christian. Politically O’Casey supported socialism and Communism; his belief was ultimately in fraternity and equality. Writers from the Communist German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union were among his many correspondents. Sean O’Casey’s initial triumph as a playwright was tempered by the rejection of The Silver Tassie by the directors of the Abbey, W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory, in 1928. This proved to be a turning point for O’Casey. Shocked and angered, he left Ireland for good and moved to London and then Devon. In 1927 he married a young actress, Eileen Carey, in the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Chelsea. They went on to have three children, Breon, Niall and Shivaun. O’Casey continued writing, although he never enjoyed the same level of his early successes, and financial insecurity was a recurrent aspect of his life. Despite this O’Casey was often generous to the many political and charitable organisations which appealed for his help. Custodial History and Access During his life and after his death the fate of O’Casey’s papers and manuscripts was of interest to many. Private collectors and academic institutions often raised questions as to the destination of them and sought to obtain some or all of the manuscripts (for example, the letters of Franklin D. Murphy below (MS 37, 856)). In December 2001, 4 the Educational Building Society purchased the Papers herein listed, and donated them to the National Library of Ireland. That they should have come to the National Library is somewhat ironic in view of a letter of 21 October 1963 from his biographer David Krause to O’Casey which states: “About the letters and the National Library in Dublin, of course I will respect your wishes. They won’t go there.” (MS 37,849) However we consider it wholly appropriate that these papers should be here in the National Library of Ireland, alongside O’Casey’s own library of books, which have been recently acquired. Content and Structure Prior to the transfer of the material to the National Library, Shivaun O’Casey had compiled an inventory of the material, which was invaluable in the preparation of this Collection List. The collection comprises 24 boxes of papers and consist mainly of correspondence to and from O’Casey. It also includes press cuttings, production programmes, notes, sketches, galley proofs of some of the Autobiographies and music. In later years much of O’Casey’s time was spent responding to letters from a huge number of people. O’Casey’s biographer David Krause edited the author’s letters, The Letters of Sean O’Casey 1910-1964, in four volumes. In a 1963 letter to Martin H. Bush, administrator of manuscripts at Syracuse University, New York, O’Casey comments on his recent experience in helping Krause: “I have written over some years to various persons in many lands. It was a terrible upheaval here, a search and an examination that left the two [of us] prostrate after we had dealt with 2000 of them, and as far as I know, thousands more to come. I am horrified at the thought of have (sic) committed such a crime against humanity!” (MS 37, 817). However, Krause posits that his correspondence brought a new audience to the playwright whose initial success was perceived as the high point of his work. In some respects O’Casey became a playwright who wrote for publication rather than performance. This was exacerbated when in 1958 he banned the performance of his plays in Ireland after the Catholic hierarchy had objected to the première of The Drums of Father Ned at the Tostal Drama Festival. This new army of correspondents kept O’Casey informed of political and literary developments all over the world, including the workings of the House Un-American Activities Committee, chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy. This is illustrated in letters from Moses Cammer, New York, (MS 37,970) and writer and philosopher, Barrows Dunham. (MS 38,114) Apart from his interest in politics and literature, O’Casey’s many other enthusiasms are reflected in the collection: his passion for social justice, science, the labour movement, drama and literature. The collection contains correspondence with labour leader and friend Jim Larkin and journalist Jack Carney, British Prime Ministers Herbert Asquith, Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan (who was also O’Casey’s publisher). There are holograph letters from Patrick Kavanagh, James Plunkett and Lady Hazel Lavery, in addition to correspondence with George Bernard Shaw, the artist Augustus John and Lady Augusta Gregory and other members of the Abbey Theatre, Lennox Robinson, Ernest Blythe and Michael J. Dolan. There are numerous requests from theatre, television and film producers and directors to present or adapt his work. Often these requests were refused, as O’Casey could not be certain that the productions would be of a high enough standard. Sam Wanamaker and Cyril Cusack 5 succeeded in convincing the playwright to allow them to produce Purple Dust and The Bishop’s Bonfire, respectively, and their communications with O’Casey are included here. In addition correspondence with his wife, Eileen, illustrates the tender, passionate and loving nature of the author. It was not only well known figures of drama or literature with whom O’Casey was in contact. Unknown individuals whom his work had affected or touched wrote to O’Casey about their lives and troubles. David Krause notes that “he seemed to have a special gift for understanding and consoling the lonely or despairing women who were strangely attracted to him.” (The Letters of Sean O’Casey 1955-58, Vol. III p xii) However this does not just apply to women, disillusioned men also sought consolation or contact, for example, Dr. John V. Simcox, a priest who was forced to resign his position after a disagreement with his archbishop, (MS 37, 917). Description of the material is quite detailed and gives researchers a clear idea of the content of the collection. Arrangement of the letters has been mainly on the basis of type of correspondent e.g. ‘Agents and Publishers’, or alternatively the subject, e.g. ‘Translations’ or ‘Charitable Requests’. Some correspondents may have been classified in a number of sub sections. For example David Krause may just as easily have been categorised as a friend or as a writer. However, because the correspondence began when Krause was a student, his letters have been arranged under ‘Academics, Students & Librarians’.