[Leica] IMG: Myself and my Grand Uncle

[imra at iol.ie (Douglas Barry)]

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/Rebel+Rebel_bw.jpg.html

Well not really. It's Robbie O'Connor the actor who plays my grand uncle 
Sean Connolly in the Dublin Fringe festival play "Rebel Rebel". My grand 
uncle Sean led the attack on Dublin Castle during the 1916 Easter Rising, 
was the first man to shoot someone - a policeman who barred the way at the 
Castle gates - and in turn was the first to die - killed by a sniper as he 
directed the Irish Citizen Army group that had taken over the City Hall.

The play was interesting as it explored the possible influence of Yeats' 
patriot plays on the Rising, even though it was a bit all over the place. 
Sean himself was an accomplished actor in the Abbey Theatre, and indeed was 
offered a five year Hollywood film contract, but turned it down as his 
priorities lay with the freedom struggle. Both W.B.Yeats and Lady Gregory 
wrote poems about him.

Anyway, I took two of my sons to see the play, and was irked to hear the 
actors refer to my grand aunt Chris - Sean's wife - as "Mary". Us Leica 
people are picky about such things, so I introduced myself to the production 
team afterwards and corrected their misapprehension. They were astonished to 
find out he had family still around and wanted a picture so took a couple. I 
handed my iPhone over and someone took this. Why didn't I bring a real 
camera!!!

Douglas