Abbey Theatre, 1904

Steve Wilmer suggested I have a look at John Lynch’s 2004 documentary, “The Abbey Theatre: the first 100 years” (Production Company: Subotica) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0899205/. With any luck, the Irish Film Archive ought to have it – I’ll check with them on Monday 24th.

Monday 24th at 3pm: meeting Honora Faul in the NLI Prints and Drawings Department to look at Joseph Holloway’s 1904 architectural plans and drawings for the Abbey.

Wednesday 2nd Feb, morning: meeting Mairéad Delaney, Abbey Theatre Archivist, to look at pre-1951, floor-by-floor survey of the Abbey and surrounding buildings; four portraits originally hung in the old Abbey; whatever additional sources can be found to help us reconstruct the architecture, but especially textiles and colour-schemes, of the 1904 Abbey interior. I’m hoping we’ll manage to find that elusive wooden model of the old Abbey…

BRILLIANT IRISH ARTISTS – British Pathe.

Silent footage, from 1925, of Irish actors performing and in mufti. Gives a fascinating portrait of acting styles and the social presentation of the actor. Would be interesting to identify the performers and roles – Pathe gives only generic descriptions (“a man playing the role of an old fisherman smoking a pipe and looking grumpy” etc.).

NEW ABBEY THEATRE – British Pathe.

Pathe Newsreel from September 1963 of the laying of the foundation stone of the new Abbey Theatre. Contains film footage of the old Abbey, and of a wooden model of the old Abbey.