Play provides new theory on 1631 pirate invasion of village
The historical drama, We Who are Blameless, will be performed in a local castle in the fishing and tourist village over the last two weekends of June.
The play will coincide with the village’s Pirate Festival running from June 20 and also the O’Driscoll clan gathering the following weekend.
Allie Wrixon of the Baltimore Drama Group said: “It is a very apt cultural addition to the clan gathering weekend as the raid on the village shaped the course of the history of the O’Driscoll family in West Cork.”
We Who are Blameless was scripted by local playwright Rupert Stutchbury and it focuses on the raid in 1631 by Algerian pirates who captured both locals and English settlers, many of whom were then forced to spend their lives in slavery in north Africa.
Significantly, amateur historian Stutchbury discovered during his research into the life of Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork, the earl’s connection with the Baltimore attack.
Ms Wrixon said: “As a result, We Who Are Blameless began to take shape. In his research, Rupert has found that it may not simply be the Algerian pirates who are to blame for this awful chapter in Baltimore’s history.
“This play is therefore a bit of a ‘whodunnit’ seeking to shed light on who held responsibility for the raid and also highlighting the involvement of some key political players who have all but disappeared from historical records.”
The play will be performed over six nights in the McCarthy family home, the restored Dún na Séad Castle, in the heart of the village. The historic setting offers the audience a perfectly authentic setting to watch the drama unfold.
The play’s creator Stutchbury will also tread the boards as a cast member for performances.
* See the Baltimore Drama Group Facebook page to reserve tickets.
