Unsung naval hero recalled in Ratoath performance

Meath County Council Arts Office and Upstate Live will present 'Submarine Man, The little-known life of John P Holland" at The Venue Theatre, Ratoath, on Saturday 4th April at 8pm. This true-story drama by Aiden Harney tells the little-known tale of 'the father of the modern submarine" and one of Ireland"s greatest, unsung naval heroes. Captivated by the allure of the sea, mankind has always been intrigued by underwater exploration and the mysteries of the deep. In 1873, Dundalk-based, noviciate Christian Brother, John Philip Holland, was obsessed with his design for a bizarre, submergible craft. His other obsession happened to be his housekeeper, Maggie B Farrell. When Holland casts aside his cassock and follows his sweetheart to America, he finds himself caught up in the frantic, international race to tame 'the Mistress of the Sea". He is fiercely courted by the fractured Fenian movement, hoping to turn his ingenious submarine on the British. The US Naval Department also sees the potential to gain a powerful upper hand in warfare.   Holland, a dreamer and a pacifist, bobs and weaves his way through duplicity and threats on his life in 1890s New York, but ultimately this humble Irish schoolteacher faces a terrible choice: integrity versus intellectual sell-out. Tickets are available from The Venue Theatre, Ratoath, on (01) 689 5600, at €10/€7.