Druid Theatre: Fifty Years

This fully-illustrated and authorised history marks 50 years of Ireland’s most ground-breaking and successful theatre company. Founded in 1975, Druid is a touring theatre company, anchored in the West of Ireland and looking to the world.

Druid began as a bold idea: to create Ireland’s first professional theatre company outside of Dublin. There were few resources with which to build a theatre company in the West of Ireland in 1975, but through sheer dedication, and with the support of the Galway community, founders Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally made this bold idea a reality. That reality has since become an international success story of extraordinary dimensions.

Exploring ambitious projects, reimagining classics and premiering new work annually, Druid has become one of Ireland’s most vital theatre companies, bringing the work of Irish playwrights to audiences globally and forming a launching pad for actors of internatioanl acclaim such as Cillian Murphy. At the heart of their artistic programme is the Druid Ensemble who work closely with the Artistic Director, Garry Hynes and the Druid team to deliver a varied and ambitious body of work.

"It has been a wonder to be alive in Ireland at the same time as Druid. Patrick Lonergan's feat in this gloriously vibrant history is to reanimate those marvels and leave us hungering for the ones to come." - Fintan O'Toole, from the book's Foreword