The Everyman’s major revival of Brian Friel’s materpiece Making History opens tonight. For the first time ever, the final scene is played by different actors from the rest of the play. Denis Conway, Peter Gowen and Chris McHallem play Hugh O’Neill, Harry Hoveden and Peter Lombard respectively at a later stage in their lives. All three actors have previously played in previous productions of Making History. We have invited them to discuss their relationship to this classic.
Denis Conway
I first played O’Neill in Making History back in 1993 – 32 years ago – in Rome with European Players. It occurred to me at that time to follow the route of The Flight of the Earls, from the battle site in Kinsale to O’Neill’s resting place in Rome.
In 2006, I was Artistic Director of Ouroboros Theatre Company and had the opportunity to bring this idea to fruition. That year, we staged the play at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, hoping for good reviews that would help us fund this tour. It worked – we raised the money and performed over 100 times across the island of Ireland, traveling through France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy.
We arrived in Rome in March 2008, on the 400th anniversary of O’Neill’s arrival in the city in 1608. I didn’t think I would play this part again, but I was approached by Des Kennedy, the new Artistic Director of The Everyman in my native Cork. He persuaded me to do so. I loved his idea of casting younger actors for the younger roles while bringing back veterans from past productions – Peter Gowen, who played O’Donnell in the original production for Field Day, and Chris McHallem, who played Harry Hoveden in a production at the Peacock Theatre in 1999.
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Brian Friel’s death. As it happens, I’m on the Friel Board, working to establish the Brian Friel Centre in his beloved Glenties (Ballybeg) in County Donegal. It feels like the universe is telling me to do the play again. The play is incredibly timely. It’s an argument about history – who writes it and how it’s shaped. Growing up, I heard romanticised stories of the Flight of the Earls and the Wild Geese. But Friel’s brilliance lies in challenging these myths, making his 1988 play just as powerful and relevant today.
Chris McHallem
In 1999, I played Harry Hoveden in a production of Making History in the Peacock Theatre in Dublin. During rehearsals, I got married and half-way through a subsequent performance, I fainted while on stage. I have always tried to convince my wife that these two events were not linked. When some of the newspaper reviews were less enthusiastic than we deserved, Mr Friel stopped by one evening to check that we were as untroubled by this as he was. I must have been looking particularly fragile as he came into the dressing room and said that he had always believed theatre was more about provoking an audience than pleasing them.
Working again on Making History, I imagine that people will regard it as I do, as a groundbreaking work by one of the greatest of modern playwrights. I have a suspicion, however, that Mr Friel himself wouldn’t mind much either way. He always seemed like a man with more important things to think about.
Peter Gowen
Brian Friel is a world-class playwright whose timeless works I deeply admire. I’ve spent over two years performing in his plays, which speaks to their resonance. When I played O’Donnell in a previous production, I witnessed how Ireland’s political climate, particularly in the North, shaped audience reactions. At the time, many weren’t ready for the play’s nuanced perspective on Irish history, Hugh O’Neill, and its appeal for reconciliation. A key challenge in revisiting this text is making it contemporary – something Friel always intended. He deliberately used modern language – terms like “lap of honor” – to make themes of conflict, resolution and agency more accessible.
The play explores how individuals and nations navigate history and use storytelling to reconcile with the past. The original production, staged by the Field Day Theatre Company – of which Stephen Rea and Brian Friel were co-directors – sought to reflect Irish culture and spark discussion. In 1988, as the North was in turmoil, the play toured Ireland and London to promote unity and dialogue.
Today, with more distance from that period, audiences can view it with fresh eyes. The play remains globally relevant, drawing parallels with conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine, where powerful nations suppress smaller ones. As an actor, I value work that sparks conversation and deepens understanding. Theatre challenges historical narratives, and this production does just that. O’Neill, often revered as a patriotic hero, is portrayed as a complex figure – courageous and charismatic, yet also a philanderer and a bully. This challenges audiences to see historical figures as human rather than mythologised icons. Ultimately, the play encourages us to reassess history to understand how we can live better today. I’ve been in theatre since 1979 and still love it. Collaborating on a brilliant play with talented people is what I live for. When everything comes together in a production like this, it’s truly fulfilling.
Making History by Brian Friel
The Everyman is proud to present a major revival of Brian Friel’s masterpiece about resistance, revolution and the remaking of heroes, directed by The Everyman’s new Artistic Director Des Kennedy in his inaugural season.
First performed by Field Day in 1988, the play follows Gaelic leader Hugh O’Neill in the events before and after the Battle of Kinsale and examines who gets to decide how history is recorded, told and retold.
