The Treaty (by Colin Murphy, directed by Conall Morrison) is a theatre piece performed by a small cast from Irish theatre company Fishamble. The topic of the piece is negotiations between Ireland and British delegates on the topic of Irish independence. The production is part of a programme of events to mark the centenary of various aspects of the Anglo-Irish treaty which was signed on the 6th of December 1921.

The Treaty focuses on an aspect of history that is often not discussed or taught. Irish independence is an important aspect of world history and opening up the dialogue on the significant historical event is vital. Exploring the topic through arts and culture is one, unique and ingenious way to open up the history to the general populous. In our modern world, the most common way to learn is through a visual medium and The Treaty certainly meets the visual aspect of learning. 

I personally know about aspects of the history of Irish independence as I have recently studied part of the history in one of my master degree modules that focuses on British colonisation and decolonisation. However, I would not hesitate to suggest that many people do not understand the history, as I did not know anything prior to studying the topic incredibly recently. Due to possessing a small amount of incredibly recently acquired knowledge, I found watching the theatre piece fascinating. 

Watching The Treaty was a truly unique opportunity to expand my knowledge about Irish history: a theatre piece in which all of the roles were played by Irish people. It was a wonderful chance to hear the history from the side that you often do not hear from. 

I truly believe that the performance could be used to educate young people about Irish history alongside traditional teaching methods. This is because it would optimise the ability for young people to engage with the important and close history. 

All of the actors involved in the piece acted their roles wonderfully and clearly to the best of their abilities. Every historic individual’s personality was portrayed successfully within the piece. As someone who knows most of the individuals portrayed due to studying history, I would definitely suggest that the cast truthfully portrayed crucial historical figures. 

The piece has definitely sparked a desire within me to research more into Irish history. My interest in the struggle of ‘Ireland for the Irish’ is incredibly high and watching the treaty theatre piece has created an even bigger desire to understand more of this complex and heated history. 

As stated on the theatre company’s website, the treaty was staged in the Kevin Barry Recital Room of the National Concert Hall, where the Dáil debates on the treaty actually took place in 1921. I personally found it so interesting that the theatre piece was filmed in the actual location of the debate on Ireland and Britain. I feel that it allows the viewer to feel that they are close to an actual monumental part of history. I also believe that it helps to form a deeper interest in the performance and consequently a deeper understanding of the events. 

I found it interesting that the performance was available to watch in your own time at home for a short period of time; this was definitely the right decision for this specific play as it allowed for a wider audience reach. Viewers could watch the performance from any part of the country, or even the world. Having a larger audience reach for this piece was important due to the historic importance. 

I enjoyed the play thoroughly and would definitely recommend watching to anybody who enjoys history or anybody who is looking to expand their knowledge on Ireland. I would also go a step further than that and suggest that everybody should watch the play due to the educational importance. 

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