The Formation, Existence, and Deconstruction of the Catholic Stage Guild of Ireland

In 1945, the Irish Catholic Church began a unique relationship with the entertainment industry through an organization known as the Catholic Stage Guild of Ireland. This Guild, whose members included Jimmy O’Dea, Noel Purcell, Cyril Cusack, and Gabriel Fallon, acted as a microcosm of twentieth-century Ireland, dramatically depicting the heartaches and successes of the Irish Catholics. This unprecedented study of the Catholic Stage Guild begins an investigation on the contemporary relationship between the Irish Catholic Church and theatre that, until now, has rarely been examined. Written for those interested in theatre studies, Catholic studies, and Irish studies, the Catholic Stage Guild of Ireland’s persuasion over the theatre population both within and outside the country’s borders proposes a story long overdue to be told—until now.