Twelve Days in May is an extraordinary piece of Theatre revealing the high drama & horrendous trauma, experienced by the family of Revolutionary Leader “James Connolly” during the last Days of his life. As the great Labour Leader lies seriously injured in Dublin Castle Military Hospital, his family hold on to the faintest sliver of hope that the authorities will refrain from executing the injured Prisoner of War. As Connolly’s life hangs in the balance, this clever piece of Theatre contrasts the enduring love & strength of the Connolly family through this anguish, with the starkness & clinical dealings of the Military, Press & Politicians. Their decisions would change the course of History.

“The great are only great because we are on our knees... ARISE”-James Connolly

Reviews:

"Fantastic! One of the best plays I've seen in a long long time. Deserves to be seen at the National Theatre by huge audiences. Congratulations on a great production, beautifully written, wonderfully narrated and splendidly characterized. A powerful play." - Ray Kennedy Near FM Radio

"Incredibly moving. Mary Murray gives a fabulous performance portraying the fierce personality of Nora Connolly with empathy.... Michael O' Sullivan was creepily effective as William Martin Murphy... It brings a human story to the history we may know of that period...gorgeous...the final scene is one you'll never forget. I would recommend it to anybody who's interested in the period, who doesn't know about the period and anybody who's interested in James Connolly."- Arena R.T.E Radio hosted by Sean Rocks (Reviewed by Padraic O' Morain and Sinead Fitzpatrick)

"Unlike most plays about the Easter Rising where the leaders are depicted as archetypal and distant mythological figures, here the protagonists strike you as human and familiar. Alternating between scenes portraying Jim's family, his youth and the political/military backround the play is both deeply moving and informative. With a large cast of men, women & children the prodution itself reflects the ideals of equality and solidarity the subject deserves. Interestingly it was observed to me afterwards that the large number of women with full speaking parts reinforced the egalitarian sub-text to the play. Neither is there any of the tokenism or working class stereotypes in the play whatsoever i.e. drunks, whores, malingerers or half educated bar geniuses that we associate with O'Casey or Behan. The dying Jim Connolly revisits scenes from his youth, as an agitator, husband of Lillie and grieving father of his daughter Mona. Jim's rough working class manner and humour does not conceal his compassionate nature which earns the enduring respect of his comrades and captors alike. Meanwhile the villains of the play: British officers with their arrogance who want to teach Ireland a lesson or the Dublin political class with their opportunism are all played as real characters i.e. human all too human." - Indymedia Ireland

"A truly magnificent play in every respect...the context of the play testifies Allens historical study and yet the very human stories of the main players surface with integrity. ...From the outset the pace never stalls...Marvellous performances... It is difficult to highlight particular characters only because each is so wonderful...Frank Allen is to be commended for bringing to life the human aspects of a great man, his wife, his daughters and son, who supported him and especially for reminding us again of his great daughter, Nora Connolly, the" keeper of the flame" - Margaret Roche Dublin City FM

We believe that Twelve Days in May has the potential to reach beyond the average Theatre going audience.

In an era where Irish people have to re-examine and reclaim our value system, this play will reveal the sacrifices and idealism of the men & women of the early 1900’s. All of the things that we take for granted today, from universal suffrage, minimum wage to religious & civil liberty, owe their origin to the creators of the 1916 Proclamation.

Twelve Days in May will instil a renewed love of history in students of any age & put flesh and blood on these iconic figures from our history books.

This play has a particular appeal for women; the depiction of Lillie Connolly and her daughters highlights the hugely significant role played by women in the foundation of this State, women who have almost been airbrushed out of history.

Twelve Days in May is not a polemic, it is not a political play or a piece of soapbox. It is a wonderfully woven tapestry of family, love, sacrifice and faith in a better future.

Every nation needs its heroes but often extraordinary deeds are done by ordinary people.