The power of the Druid: creating magic for 50 years.
By Eoin Maher
The University of Galway is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Druid travelling theatre.
A symposium was held last Tuesday to mark the occasion, alongside the publication of a new anthology, Druid Theatre 1975–2025: New Irish Plays.
The event, Druid at 50: People, Place & Performance, chronicled the theatre’s Galway roots through discussions and public talks of its past, alongside an exhibition in the James Hardiman Library to mark the occasion.
The conference was led by Dr Máiréad Ní Chróinín, Head of Department of Drama and Theatre Studies and co-editor of the new book, an anthology containing six of Druid’s most noteworthy productions.
“We’re thrilled to bring together artists, academics, students, and audiences to share in the energy, creativity, and ambition that Druid have cultivated for half a century”, said Dr Ní Chróinín.
“It’s about honouring the company’s roots while also looking forward with excitement to the next fifty years of storytelling, collaboration, and imagination,” she explained.
The new exhibition was opened by the University of Galway’s President, Professor David Burn and alumni Maureen Kennelly, the Druid Theatre’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Druid model boxes will be displayed in the Hardiman Library Foyer as part of these commemorations.
“Druid’s story is inseparable from that of Galway itself. It is a story of creativity,” said Professor Burn, “Collaboration and world-class ambition rooted in the West of Ireland.”
“As we celebrate 50 years of Druid, we also celebrate the spirit of innovation and community that has shaped both the theatre company and our university,” he added.
Following Tuesday’s symposium Garry Hynes, Druid’s Artistic Director and co-founder, expressed her appreciation to the University of Galway for marking this milestone.
“In 1975, I co-founded Druid with two fellow university graduates, Marie Mullen and the late Mick Lally. 50 years later, this symposium offers us a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what Druid has achieved in its first five decades and consider where we will go,” she said.
This anniversary follows a 2022 partnership between Druid and the University of Galway, whereby the theatre’s archive is made available to academics and students.
This ten-year agreement facilitates internship opportunities and, as Druid’s sole academic partner, their archive is accessible to academics and students as part of the library’s collection.
Druid’s first performance on the 3rd of July 1975 was held in the Jesuit Hall on Sea Road, a production of J.M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World.
Ten shows were produced the following year, thanks to their popular lunchtime theatre series offering audiences a show and a sandwich for just 50p.
In 2020, Druid broadcast Tom Murphy’s reimagining of The Cherry Orchard live from Galway to cinemas across the U.K. and Ireland; a first for Irish theatre.
Tuesday’s event was a triple cause for celebration as the symposium ran concurrently with the Jerome Hynes One-Act Play Award 2025. The Swallowed Man, a student-led production, also received the “Druid 50th Anniversary Award.”
