An Trial

CraigSmith

I was doing Maidhc Dainin all last year but I've forgotten most of it from last year, I switched schools this year and the school I'm in now are doing An Trial, the notes the teacher gave me only describe the character and theres no summary to read for it anywhere. Does anyone know anywhere I can find a summary of the story (preferably in English)

Thanks!

Naomi00

Have you not read the play?

There's notes here on 'An Triail', they're in Irish though: http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/senior.asp?id=691

Canard

I dont think you need to know the whole story to answer the questions but it definitely helps - why not ask your teacher? This is it as best as I can remember, I went to see it 2 weeks ago, definitely advise doing that as its great fun and helpful!

Courtroom as Máire has killed her baby. The whole play is flashbacks by those on trial. The mam has dreams of one son being a priest, one minding the farm and Máire being a nun. Her mam lets her go to one dance at the local school because the local priest is running it but her brother introduces her to Páidrig (dun dun dun!).

They're dancing and hes like, what, you're going to become a nun? Surely you dont want to do that. Then he takes her off and uses flowery language and basically speaks out his ass to impress her. Then he says how hes married but his wife has a fatal, cureless disease and cant provide for him as a wife should and therefore they arent being unfair on her by having an affair.

Máire cant handle the guilt and tells the priest in confession who tells her to end the relationship but she refuses. The brothers are talking about how shes often sick in the morning and how harsh the mam is on her and how shes been sneaking out at night, and the mam hears and inquires. They're defensive but she ends up finding out what shes been doing and realizes shes pregnant. She gives her a liquid to abort the baby but Máire wont drink it and runs away from home.

Páidrig told her not to write to him or tell anyone his name in case they judge them (in reality he just doesnt want to be seen as a cheater and damage his rep) so she doesnt. She gets a job as a house cleaner and then the woman shes working for, who's quite upperclass and proper, notices shes pregnant and gets in a social worker who sends Máire to a Teach Tearmainn. The court asks why she did that and ultimately she didnt want a pregnant unwed girl around her children but pretends she was unfit for the job.

There she meets Maili and learns all about adoption and how she'll never see her child again. She is horrified and refuses to give up the child. Instead she leaves, gets a job in a factory and assumes the identity of a widow who's just had a baby and needs to work. She stays in a rented house and the woman says she knew she wasnt a widow but also says "I didnt help her with money because I knew she'd be getting a widow's pension", in reality they were all too selfish.

In march the house falls down and Máire comes home and the women forgot about Paidrigín, the child. She was saved by a beam over her cradle. A man from the Teach Tearmainn recognises her and Maili invites her to live with her which she accepts.

Máire meets Paidrig's friend in the city and learns that around a year ago his wife died. She is excited and thinks he will come for her soon.

One night in Maili's, Maili comes home with Páidrig and that friend (Maili is a prostitute) and Máire asks him to come and see his daughter and is delighted. But he's shocked and says 'a striapach' (you prostitute) and she cant take it. She kills herself and her daughter while Maili is out so that her daughter will never have to go through that and so that she 'would not enter the darkness of eternity without her mother following her'.

The final scene is the graveyard scene with all the people saying not to blame them; brothers, mam, etc. Maili wishes mercy onto her soul and Paidrig leaves after a moment alone at the grave and that ends the play.

Whew, that took a while. Hope I didnt leave anything out!

degausserxo

There's a good book of notes and sample essays available, dunno who wrote it but it's maroon coloured!

68508224

hey check these out.. summaries of both act 1 and act 2 in english

http://www.gaelminn.org/triail/synopsis1.htm

http://www.gaelminn.org/triail/synopsis.htm

xclw

honestly just read it, only will take about an hour to read

Canard

^terribly hard to understand it though.

Shaw_na

68508224 wrote: »

hey check these out.. summaries of both act 1 and act 2 in english

http://www.gaelminn.org/triail/synopsis1.htm

http://www.gaelminn.org/triail/synopsis.htm

Everyone in my class used this cause we had to do our own summary in Irish! Its pure handy, just add in some of your own quotes & stuff Its the best way to get a full understanding of it!