Maud Gonne now occupies only a tiny niche in the pantheon of Irish patriotic figures, and the hour-long account of her life to the age of 50 at Dublin Writers Museum hardly persuades one that she is entitled to more.
She comes across as a self-centred, aristocratic figure of no great intellectual or artistic distinction, despite one acclaimed stage appearance, in Kathleen Ni Houlihan by W.B. Yeats at the Abbey Theatre.
This account finds her in France in 1917 at the age of 50, waiting for Yeats to come and escort her back to Ireland after a 12-year absence. She tells of her girlhood and guardians, her marriages to Lucien Millevoye and John MacBride, her family and notable acquaintances. Threaded through the story is the constant theme of her hostility towards Britain.
Helen Calthorpe, an Irish actress living in the US, represents Gonne with the right physical appearance and air of authority. The script, by Gyavira Lasana, is peculiarly opaque and left me, at least, struggling to follow its anecdotal sequences. My efforts were not helped by a blurred quality in the vocal sounds, partly due to the acoustics of the two-room venue, and in some degree to imprecise pitch in their delivery.
That said, this salon-type piece, which may be combined with a tour of the museum, offers one of history's footnotes in an attractive ambience during the convenient slot of lunchtime.
Runs until Sunday; bookings on 01-8722077
