The name Brian Friel is synonymous with the world of drama, owing much to the early influence of his mother Chris, a steadfast advocate for the Feis. This cultural competition was a fixture in Friel’s 1930s childhood, with his mother ensuring he experienced many performances across the northwest. Yet, the passion for the arts extended beyond Chris, with his father Paddy, a proficient schoolmaster, earning accolades for individual and group singing, as well as directing successful school choirs. Furthermore, Friel’s formidable aunty, Kate MacLoone, a graduate of the Abbey School of Acting, made her mark as the sole female committee member of Feis Thír Chonaill. Following her retirement from teaching in 1943, she refocused her energies on producing plays for children.
However, it was his mother Chris who played a critical role in Friel’s early development. This was highlighted in one of Friel’s whimsical columns written for The Irish Times between 1957 and 1962, detailing how she would showcase his talents in various competitions, from whistling to violin and singing, spread across locales in Donegal, Derry, and Tyrone. This text was penned in December 1959, at a time when thirty-year-old Friel, by then a father of two girls, had already authored two New Yorker stories and had two plays aired by the BBC. A year later, Friel made the pivotal decision to abandon teaching and chase a literary career, a move made feasible through his columns in The Irish Times and his agreement with the New Yorker – $100 annually for the first perusal rights of his new work.
Brian Friel switched from promising amateur to professional writer in a bold move that paid off spectacularly. First with his successful stories in the New Yorker leading to his play, ‘The Enemy Within’, gaining remarkable success at the Abbey in 1962. Then, after spending some time exploring the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, the trajectory of his career continued to soar when his play, ‘Philadelphia, Here I Come!’, proved to be a sensation at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1964. The play’s success led to a revival the next year at the Gate theatre and in 1966, it premiered on Broadway, running for a commendable 324 shows. It was announced that Friel had ‘struck gold’ by Variety.
Kelly Matthews’s compelling piece ‘Brian Friel: Beginnings’ focuses specifically on these transformative years. The book cleverly unravels Friel’s interactions with his agents, editors, producers, and directors, who played instrumental roles in advising and creating opportunities for him. Among these influential figures were BBC producer Ronald Mason, Friel’s New Yorker editor Roger Angell, and the well-respected director Tyrone Guthrie in Minneapolis. Friel is portrayed as having a humorous yet modest persona, displaying a relentless urge to develop his work, a characteristic of a chronic contender.
However, some aspects remain veiled. Friel’s hometown, the northwest, that shaped him before he made an impression on it, isn’t clearly illustrative. Likewise, the early trials and tribulations of the teacher originating from a middle-class family amidst a significantly disadvantaged nationalist population suffering from discrimination and indifference remain elusive. His political engagements, including his involvement with the Derry Catholic (Voter) Registration Association, are also overlooked. The contribution of Friel’s wife, Anne, who was his ‘first reader’ according to Matthews, remains unclear, particularly regarding her input on his early work.
Unveiling Friel’s youthful years pose certain complications. Chiefly, Friel never publicised his reasons for resigning from the seminary at Maynooth, as he considered the topic ‘closed’.
A plentiful collection of accounts provide insights into the early life and career of the renowned playwright, Brian Friel. Friel’s initial experiences on stage have been well-documented and confirmed. Recognised as a skilled singer, he often participated in feiseanna throughout the 1950s. Impressions of his performances and song selection were noted in the media. Friel’s participation in a public festival in August 1937, hosted by Fianna Fáil (his Aunt Kate’s political party), was recalled with certainty in 1959. The eight-year-old Friel was part of the formal musical performances alongside his elder siblings, Mary and Nanette. Moreover, he claimed victory in a Fancy Dress competition at Omagh Parochial Sports in 1938; an event organised by his father.
The Freil family’s interests extended beyond performing to focus heavily on writing. The year 1937 witnessed a humorous essay authored by Mary won accolades and was published in the Irish Press. The essay outlined an argument that occurred in Glenties involving her “small brother” Brian and a local boy, during a round of Lexicon, a popular word game of the time. In 1939, their Aunt Kate introduced Mary and Nanette to respected writers Seumas MacManus, Alice Milligan, and Paddy the Cope at a retirement celebration. Mary went on to publish her short story, and Paddy, their father, reportedly had one aired on the radio.
Recreating Friel’s youth poses its challenges, especially regarding his decision to quit the seminary at Maynooth, a topic he never opened up about, as recalled by Anne Friel in a recent interview. However, history may provide answers where Friel did not. Records kept by Maynooth and the Diocese of Derry may potentially shed light on this.
While a comprehensive literary biography might delve more into Friel’s life, spanning from his successes before his renowned play “Dancing at Lughnasa” (1990), this book is not an attempt at that. Nonetheless, it is an impressively structured book, charting the journey of a budding playwright en route to Broadway, aided by those around him.