When History Hits Home: How Wild Irish Geese is Bringing Local Ancestors Back to Life
/By Scott Arnold
From descendants portraying their own ancestors to an outdoor stage that brings history to life, 4th Line Theatre's return of Wild Irish Geese is as much about community as it is about the past.
megan murphy’s Wild Irish Geese runs Tuesday to Saturday at 6pm throughout august at 4th Line Theatre, with an additional performance on Monday, August 24th (photo by Scott Arnold)
There's something different about Wild Irish Geese.
Yes, it's a play about the Peter Robinson immigration of 1825 and the thousands of Irish settlers who made the difficult journey to what would eventually become Peterborough. But spend just a few minutes talking with the people bringing the story to life, and it quickly becomes clear this isn't simply a production about history.
For many involved, it's family history.
When Wild Irish Geese premiered at 4th Line Theatre last summer during the bicentennial of the Peter Robinson immigration, audiences embraced it. Nearly 10,000 people attended the sold-out run, many of them descendants of the very settlers whose stories were unfolding on stage. The production returns to Winslow Farm from August 4 to 29, with performances Tuesday through Saturday at 6 p.m. and an additional Monday performance on August 24, giving audiences another opportunity to experience a story that continues to strike a deeply personal chord throughout the region.
"It's a big Peterborough story," said director and 4th Line Theatre Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell. "It's about the entire process of people being chosen, coming over here and settling. It's Megan's well-researched, well-loved play about those Irish immigrants."
Written by Peterborough's Megan Murphy, Wild Irish Geese follows Irish families escaping crushing poverty in the 1820s before beginning new lives in Upper Canada. More than 2,000 settlers eventually arrived in what was then known as Scotts Plains, laying the foundation for generations of families that still call the region home today.
written by peterborough native megan murphy, who also acts in the play, Wild irish geese explores the stories, challenges and connections that remain part of the region’s history (photo by scott arnold)
For Murphy, telling that story meant looking beyond dates and historical documents.
When she first accepted the challenge of writing the play, she found herself surrounded by stacks of family histories and genealogy books loaned by local residents eager to see their ancestors represented.
"So many people trusted me with their family stories," Murphy said. "I felt like I had to tell everybody's story."
For nearly a year, she admits she barely wrote anything.
"It was really hard," she laughed.
Eventually, Murphy realized she wasn't writing a history textbook.
"I had to get some of the history right, obviously, because it's a historical story, but it wasn't a lecture," she said. "I had to get the heart of it right."
She found that heart in the story of the Hickey family, whose experiences became the emotional backbone of the production.
"It was a universal tale of family struggle, migration and hope," Murphy said. "It had everything I needed."
Murphy also wanted the story to reflect another important chapter of local history.
Working alongside Indigenous Story Consultant Patti Shaughnessy, local Indigenous leaders and elders, she incorporated the first encounters between Irish settlers and the Indigenous communities already living in the area.
"I wanted to do this piece as part of reconciliation," Murphy said. "I wanted to tell that part of the story too."
Those personal connections don't stop with the playwright.
Many members of the cast have their own ties to the story they're telling.
The return of Wild Irish Geese brings a powerful story of family, history and community connection back to 4th Line Theatre this summer. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
Actor Paul Crough, who plays John Hickey, discovered during rehearsals that the real Hickey family settled less than a kilometre from where he now lives in Ennismore.
"On my drive here every day, I drive right by the original home place," he said. "It's pretty incredible."
For M. John Kennedy, who portrays Peter Robinson, one of the production's most powerful moments doesn't happen backstage.
It happens when the audience becomes part of the story.
At the beginning of each performance, descendants of the Peter Robinson settlers are invited to identify themselves. Hands rise throughout the crowd.
Later in the play, a ship's sail carrying the names of those original families is raised on stage.
"To see your family's names up there on that sail... it's moving," Kennedy said.
"It's so cool that so many of us are actually descended from the Robinson settlers as well. We get to tell the story of our own ancestors."
Actor M. John Kennedy returns as Peter Robinson in Wild Irish Geese, a role that connects him to the story of thousands of Irish immigrants who began new lives in Upper Canada. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
That connection between performers and audience is something Blackwell believes makes Wild Irish Geese unlike almost any other production.
"We did the show as a world premiere last summer and it sold out," she said. "We wanted to bring it back for everyone who didn't get to see it, and for those who wanted to experience it again."
Returning audiences will find more than a repeat performance.
Murphy has made several changes to the script, while the cast has continued discovering new layers in familiar scenes.
"The worst thing as an actor is if something starts to feel stale," Crough said. "Instead, we're finding new things every day. Kim's putting new spins on scenes, and it's making everything feel fresh again."
The theatre itself plays a starring role.
Unlike a traditional indoor stage, 4th Line Theatre's Winslow Farm setting surrounds audiences with fields, stone fences and open sky. Actors emerge from wooded trails, across open fields and through the landscape itself.
"You look around and there are people coming out of the fields and the stone walls," Crough said. "Audience members told us it felt like we were back in Ireland. What better backdrop could you have to tell this story?"
Actor Paul Crough portrays John Hickey in Wild Irish Geese, a role made even more meaningful after discovering the real Hickey family settled near his own Ennismore home. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
Visitors often arrive well before curtain time, enjoying picnics or barbecues with family and friends before settling into the outdoor theatre.
"It really is a special place to see theatre," Blackwell said.
The production also reflects another tradition that has become synonymous with 4th Line Theatre: bringing together professional performers, local actors and community volunteers spanning multiple generations.
The Wild Irish Geese cast includes professional performers, local actors and community members of multiple generations, reflecting one of 4th Line Theatre’s longstanding traditions. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
The cast includes seasoned professionals working alongside first-time performers and local children, creating friendships that often last long after the final curtain.
"We get these really wonderful vertical friendships," Blackwell said. "Young people and seniors become friends here. That's something you don't often see."
Both Kennedy and Crough say the youngest cast members continually raise the bar.
"They're absolute pros," Kennedy said. "Kids are so honest and authentic. They make all of us better actors."
Playwright and actor Megan Murphy brought her own connection to the region’s Irish roots to Wild Irish Geese, a story shaped by years of research into the families who helped build the community. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
