Lady Gregory and Irish National Theatre: Art, Drama, Politics by Eglantina Remport (review)

Eglantina Remport has woven a rich and interesting tapestry of Lady Gregory’s life in her book Lady Gregory and Irish National Theatre: Art, Drama, Politics. She explores and analyzes Lady Augusta Gregory née Persse’s life from the time of her marriage to Sir William Gregory in relation to both Gregory’s education and her contribution to Irish cultural, social, and political life until the time of her death in 1932. Remport argues for and evaluates Ruskin’s influence on Lady Gregory’s passion for cultural heritage and social ideals in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Ireland. The introduction sets up the basis for this analysis when Remport demonstrates how Ruskin’s thinking was far reaching and how his theories “influenced many diverse, social, political, and artistic movements” (2). She notes that Ruskin “was convinced that there was a connection between a nation’s appreciation of its home-grown artistic talents and the general state of the nation” (2). This was an ideal that became apparent in the development of the Irish Literary Revival with W. B. Yeats, also an admirer of Ruskin’s theories, at its center, and the Irish Literary Theatre formed by Yeats, Edward Martyn, and Lady Gregory. Ruskin, through his works, inspired a thought process that “an artist carried a moral responsibility to the society in which s/he lived and for which s/he worked” (3). These were the values on which the Irish Cultural Revival thrived through organizations such as the Gaelic League, the Co-operative Movement, and of course the Literary Movement. Remport’s intention through her book is to ground the influence of Lady Gregory, who in turn was influenced by Ruskin, on these movements through a detailed appraisal of her “achievements as a playwright, a theatre director, and a social reformer” (14) at that very significant time in Irish history.

In an article in the Irish Times, Eglantina Remport said of the book she wrote on Lady Gregory that she wanted “to tell the yet untold stories of Lady Augusta Gregory’s life; to reveal how her life-long interest in the visual arts influenced her work for the Abbey Theatre; and to introduce her as a serious social thinker in her own right who believed in the introduction of a new scheme of social reform in Ireland, one that would be beneficial for both tenants and landowners throughout the country.”¹

The five chapters in the book work chronologically to establish this treatise. The chapters are named rather than numbered, and this succeeds in giving a more personalized narrative of the life and times of Lady Gregory. Beginning with “‘My Education’: Sir William Gregory, the Grand Tours, and the Visual Arts,” Remport tracks Lady Gregory’s introduction and education in the world of fine arts from the time of her marriage to Sir William. The chapter illuminates how deeply entrenched William Gregory was in the world of arts and culture and how he introduced his new wife, on their honeymoon, to art galleries and museums all over Europe. It contains many details of the couple’s travels and their visits to the many museums and galleries that they visited and notes how Lady Gregory became acquainted with some of the leading figures in the art world. It details how Lady Gregory’s appreciation for the debates on the importance of art and its place in society. The chapter also discusses how Lady Gregory developed an awareness of colonial politics through the Grand Tours that she and her husband undertook. Remport maintains that, through this period in her life, Lady Gregory became “aware of the cultural significance of her own home at Coole Park” (41) and what she had learned in these years “is very significant to understanding her role and influence in the Irish Revival” (42), setting the stage for the next chapter, investigating Lady Gregory’s valuable engagement with Celtic mythology...