Genesis of the Play:

W.B Yeats in his poem “September 1913” talked about “the names that stilled your childish play.” The playwright recalls these words in his youth, growing up in Dublin in the 1960’s, He realized that there were significant, important people who had made huge contributions to the world throughout their lives, and with their lives, such as J.F.K & Martin Luther King but from 1966 on, James Connolly became the most significant name for the young historian and student Frank Allen. The playwright admired Connolly not only as a great patriotic figure, but also for his vision of “cherishing all of the children of the nation equally”.

Frank admits becoming fascinated by Connolly’s family life and began to investigate the close loving relationship he had as a father and husband, and how the loss of such a noble and kind man impacted the lives of those he left behind. These are the people who rarely appear in the history books, such as his wife Lillie Connolly, their son Roddy Connolly, and their daughters Mona, Nora, Aideen, Ina, Maire and Fiona. These are the characters that captured the imagination of the Playwright. The Connolly family’s trials and tribulations are as much a vital part of history, as the fate that befell the pillar of this family, James Connolly. “Twelve Days in May” attempts to shed some light on the personal lives of these characters, the loving relationships that formed between them, and how their lives unfolded over the course of those incredibly traumatic days in May 1916.

“The heartbeat of history is often felt far away from the barricades” Frank Allen

Frank Allen - Playwright

Frank Allen is a Dublin born Playwright, Screenwriter, Director & Teacher who studied at University College Dublin & holds a Masters in Irish History. Frank has written many successful plays for the stage, his first piece named “Scenes from Kilmainham” was staged in the National Concert Hall in 1991, as part of the 75th Anniversary Celebrations of the 1916 Rising. He went on to write numerous pieces such as “Caffrey-Memoirs of a Dub” in 1996, “Cafe Slices” in 1998, “Give Us a Break” in 1999, “Concert Pitch” in 2000, “The Methadone Actors” in 2002, “Oh When The Hoops” in 2004, “On Tilt” in 2008 & finally “Twelve Days in May” for 2009
The seasoned Playwright has also directed numerous productions, such as “The Plough & the Stars” at Liberty Hall Theatre, “Hatchet” in The Crypt Theatre Dublin Castle, “Kevin’s Bed” in Andrew’s Lane Theatre & “Oh When the Hoops” in Tallaght Theatre. Frank has also written & produced popular works for the screen such as the “The Blues Revival” a sports documentary, “The Annual Pilgrimage”, “The Methadone Actors” & “Down the Flats”, all of which were broadcast by R.T.E. “The Match”, written by Frank, was the winner of The Screenwriting Distinction Award at the UCD/NYU Screenwriting Awards..

In addition to this, Frank has recently finished writing the script for the feature film “Connolly” which he has been working on for many years with Tom Stokes, “Connolly” the Movie is being directed by renowned Irish Actor, & Director Adrian Dunbar. Frank is also heavily involved with The Pathways Project, where he teaches Drama & Creative Writing, Pathways is an educational project designed to help the needs of ex prisoners & has proven to be a very helpful programme. The Playwright attributes a large amount of his writing to the people he has met through his work with Pathways & Mountjoy Prison.