Address by President Connolly on 50th Anniversary of Druid Theatre
Druid Theatre, Galway, 7 December 2026
A cháirde,
Tá ríméad orm bheith anseo libh inniu ar an ócáid shuntasach seo agus muid ag marcáil deireadh ócáidí bliana chun 50 bliain d’Amharclann Druid a mharcáil. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le Adrian O’Neill, Cathaoirleach de Druid, Garry Hynes, Stiúrthóir Ealaíne, agus Maureen Kennelly, Príomh Fheidhmeannach, don chuireadh cineálta don bhailiú ceiliúrtha seo.
This evening, we also celebrate the publication of a new history of Druid Theatre written by Professor Patrick Lonergan of the University of Galway entitled, Druid Theatre: Fifty Years. May I congratulate Professor Lonergan for this excellent work which documents the history of one of our most cherished theatres.
Druid Theatre holds a special place for me. Besides being a ‘neighbour’ from our shared Flood Street location in Galway, it is a place that I enjoy visiting and attending performances, in full knowledge that the quality of the productions here is always second to none.
Druid is a touring theatre company that is anchored in the West of Ireland but looks out to the world. I was last here in my previous role as Galway West TD in April when I chaired a post-show discussion on the powerful anti-war film screening of The Phoenix of Gaza: A City Lost to Genocide. I recall great participation and discussion from those in attendance.
Druid began as a bold idea: to create Ireland’s first professional theatre company outside Dublin. Founded by Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and the late Mick Lally, Druid began in the summer of 1975. It is a remarkable fact that Druid is one of only a handful of professional Irish theatre companies to reach their 50th anniversary.
Back in the 1970s, there were scarce resources with which to build a theatre company in Galway – indeed, infrastructure and resources for theatre companies still limit the growth of many long-lasting companies. It was through sheer dedication, tenacity and with the steadfast support of the local community that the three founders Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally made their bold idea a reality.
That reality has since become an international success story with Druid presenting over 300 productions, celebrating and sharing the work of more than 50 playwrights, as well as numerous accolades including Tony Awards, Irish Theatre Awards, Edinburgh Fringe First Awards and UK Theatre Awards.
Druid’s support for new artists is a well-known feature of the company – especially through initiatives such as the FUEL nine-month artist residency programme and the Marie Mullen bursary for young artists. However, it has also played a significant role in the lives of many established actors and playwrights – from founding member Marie Mullen to Martin McDonagh, Tom Murphy, Aisling O’Sullivan, Sean McGinley and so many more.
I am delighted that we are here in the Mick Lally Theatre this evening. Although deeply missed, Mick’s spirit somehow lives on in this atmospheric and intimate space in the heart of one of the oldest parts of Galway City. We remember him fondly as one of Ireland’s finest actors.
It has been said, and I agree, that the founding of Druid Theatre gave Galway a renewed sense of purpose, an act that would not only revolutionise Irish theatre but also redefine Galway’s very identity.
At the time of Druid’s founding, in 1975, Galway was considered by many as a peripheral place—picturesque and poetic, but not a player in the cultural or economic narratives of the country.
The idea that a professional theatre company would be founded in the West was seen by many as quixotic – and yet, against the odds and with little more than perseverance, talent, and the support of a loyal local community, Druid was born.
Now, a half-century later, it is not an exaggeration to say that Druid did more than bring drama to Galway—it gave the city a renewed raison d'être, a centre of gravity that would attract artists, students, creatives, bohemians, as well as entrepreneurs and international attention.
Druid was the catalyst behind the emergence of a wider cultural ecosystem in Galway, its presence encouraging the development of other arts organisations, inspiring local playwrights and actors, and infusing the city with creative energy.
Galway’s eventual selection as European Capital of Culture in 2020 can be traced directly back to Druid’s foundational role in defining Galway as a city where art matters, where culture is central and flourishing.
Druid represented a paradigm shift in creativity, in its fostering of different perspectives. I suggest that we need that paradigm shift more than ever in a time when consensus and the dominant narrative have become so pervasive.
Although firmly and proudly a West of Ireland company, Druid is well-known for its policy of touring. As well as performing in some of Ireland’s biggest venues as well as some of its most unusual and remote (the much-acclaimed Synge cycle on the island of Inis Meáin comes to mind), Druid has toured internationally to Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Druid’s passionate belief that audiences have a right to see the very best professional theatre without having to travel long distances outside their own communities is one that I commend wholeheartedly.
In the show programme for its inaugural 1975 season, Druid quoted the playwright Tennessee Williams, “Make voyages, attempt them, there is nothing else.”
Druid’s journey has been a fantastic voyage of discovery, one which has yielded so much for the arts and culture of this country, reinforcing the importance of creativity, imagination and diverse perspectives.
Mar fhocail scoir, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le cách a mhúnlaigh Druid tharr caoga bliain, na daoine a bhí ann agus na daoine atá ann inniu, do na bunaitheoirí, a bhfoireann chruthaitheach, a n-aisteoirí agus a lucht féachana.
Tá súil agam go leanfaidh sibh oraibh ag lonrú go geall sna laethanta amach romhainn agus go mbeire sibh an spiorad céanna atá lán le nuálaíocht, feabhas agus misneach ealaíonta a rinne cur síos ar Druid óna bunú.
Míle buíochas is beir beannacht.