Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the English-speaking theatre. Although The New York Times hailed him in his obituary as "the most conspicuous English dramatist of the 19th century," he and his second wife, Agnes Robertson Boucicault, had applied for and received American citizenship in 1873.
Robert G. Vignola was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later moved to directing, becoming one of the silent screen's most prolific directors. He directed a handful of films in the early years of talkies but his career essentially ended in the silent era.
Gene Gauntier was an American screenwriter and actress who was one of the pioneers of the motion picture industry. A writer, director, and actress in films from mid 1906 to 1920, she wrote screenplays for 42 films. She performed in 87 films and is credited as the director of The Grandmother (1909).
The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to Vitagraph Studios in 1917.
George K. Hollister was an American pioneer cinematographer.
The Lad from Old Ireland, also called A Lad from Old Ireland, is a one-reel 1910 American motion picture directed by and starring Sidney Olcott and written by and co-starring Gene Gauntier. It was the first film appearance of prolific actor/director J.P. McGowan.
The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicault playing Myles na Coppaleen. It was most recently performed in Dublin at the Project Arts Centre in July and August 2010 and in Belfast by Bruiser Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre in April 2018. Several film versions have also been made.
Arthur Donaldson, was a Swedish-American actor and opera singer. He appeared in 71 films between 1910 and 1934.
Beaufort is a small village that lies on the banks of the River Laune in County Kerry, in the southwest of Ireland. It consists of a post office, three public houses, one supermarket, parish hall, guest houses and thirty private houses. As of the 2016 census, the population was 251. Beaufort sits at the foot of Ireland's highest mountain Carrantuohill.
The Colleen Bawn is a silent 1911 American romantic drama film based on the 1860 play of the same name. A secret marriage leads to murder. It and the play are based on the actual 1819 murder of 15-year-old Ellen Scanlan.
Rory O'More is a 1911 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott and Robert G. Vignola, with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It is based on the novel and play by Samuel Lover. While the historical Rory O'More took part in the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the film places the story in the context of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
His Mother is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ireland for American audiences.
Far from Erin's Isle is a 1912 American silent film directed by Sidney Olcott. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ireland for American audiences. The film tells the story of a young girl who leaves Ireland for New York, but after losing two jobs and becoming sick, returns home where she is welcomed by her family and her sweetheart.
You Remember Ellen is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Films. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ireland for American audiences.
The Shaughraun is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Films Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with himself, Gene Gauntier, Alice Hollister and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles.
Lady Peggy's Escape is a 1913 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Films Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with himself, Gene Gauntier, Helen Lindroth and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles.
An Arabian Tragedy is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier, Robert Vignola and Alice Hollister in the leading roles.
The Girl Spy Before Vicksburg is a 1910 American silent film produced by Kalem Company of New York and shot at the company's "winter studio" in Jacksonville, Florida. Directed by Sidney Olcott, the Civil War drama stars Gene Gauntier, Robert Vignola and JP McGowan. Gauntier, in addition to performing as the production's title character, is credited with writing its storyline or "scenario".
Ellen Scanlon, born Ellen Hanley, was an Irish murder victim. Born to a Limerick farming family in 1803, her murder at age 15 became the subject of books, plays, films, songs, and an opera, using the nickname given to her locally, "the Colleen Bawn,", which translates literally to "white girl," with "white" symbolically meaning purity, innocence, gentleness, or beauty. Thus the name can be interpreted as "the innocent maiden."
Arrah-na-Pogue, also known as Arrah-na-Pogue; or the Wicked Wedding, is a play in 3 acts by Dion Boucicault. Along with The Colleen Bawn (1860) and The Shaughraun (1874), it is considered one of the three major Irish plays penned by Boucicault. Set during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the play popularized the street ballad The Wearing of the Green; a rendition of which was included in the play with lyrics by Boucicault. It has had an enduring place in the canon of dramatic literature on the stage internationally, and has been adapted into other media.
