Run with Hare (... and hunt with hound)

by Timothy X. Troy

Balms by day; bombs by night. Dan Stapleton, three-time All-Ireland hurling champion, Kilkenny High Street pharmacist, and happily married father of two, awakens his commitment to Irish Nationalism as the First Dáil and the Irish Volunteers begin the process of establishing the new Irish State in 1918. From that moment until the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, Stapleton manufactures and distributes...

Balms by day; bombs by night. Dan Stapleton, three-time All-Ireland hurling champion, Kilkenny High Street pharmacist, and happily married father of two, awakens his commitment to Irish Nationalism as the First Dáil and the Irish Volunteers begin the process of establishing the new Irish State in 1918. From that moment until the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, Stapleton manufactures and distributes war materiel and gathers important intelligence, all while winning golf tournaments, nurturing a growing family, attending to the ailments of his community, decoding messages disguised as folklore, and gathering allies among those who appear to support British occupation. Based on Stapleton’s 1953 Bureau of Military History - Witness Statement, Run with the Hare (… and hunt with the hound), uncovers the hidden history of Stapleton’s vital contribution to the remarkably successful outcome of the Battle of Kilkenny.

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Run with Hare (... and hunt with hound)

Daniel John Stapleton (1886-1968) – Pharmaceutical chemist. Three-time All-Ireland
hurling champion. IRB member. Blissfully married father of two daughters.

Frank Stapleton (1892-1963) – Mechanically gifted. Helps run the family grazier farm and creamery at the Stapleton family home, Tullamaine House.

Peggy Cahill – Native of Killarney. Distant relative of the Stapleton’s. On the run from British Forces. 21 years old.

Mrs. Abigail Wakefield – Originally from Monaghan. Married into a landowner family in
Kilkenny (500 acres). Grieving mother of her son, Martin.

Mr. J. Miles – London-based sales representative for a wholesale chemical/pharmaceutical firm. 37 years old.

Sgt. Arnold Westrim –Native of Devon, England. Veteran British Forces deployments on
The Western Front and later in India. 21 years old.

Lt. Christopher Barton— Sandhurst graduate. 23 years old.

Thomas Treacy (1885-1975) –Served as Commandant for the Irish Volunteers. Lost his British civil service position after the Easter Rising.

Harry Boland (1887-1922) –Dublin native. Veteran of the Easter Rising. GAA executive.
President of IRB. Later TD for Second Dáil.
* Doubling suggestion: J. Miles and Harry Boland

Development History

  • Reading, Barnstorm Theatre & KATS Theatre Group - Kilkenny, Ireland, 2023

Awards

  • Fulbright Scholar - research award
    Fulbright
    2023