Hardress Cregan is having a party at his home in Killarney. The estates owned by Cregan are heavily mortgaged. The holder of said mortgage, Corrigan, insists that Cregan romance Anne Chute…a wealthy young woman who could surely insure payment of the mortgage to him should a marriage ensue. OR, says the villainous Corrigan, Cregan’s mother COULD marry HIM! This idea is hideous to Mrs. Cregan, so she agrees to encourage her son to court Mistress Chute.
Now it seems that young Cregan is in love with a beautiful “the Colleen Bawn,” Eily O’Connor, and is at this same moment being rowed across the lake to Eily’s house. His mother swears that she will put a stop to this romance.
In the cottage of Eily O’Connor, living there under the protection of Father Tom, we find both a peasant of interest, Myles na Coppaleen, AND Hardress Cregan visiting. (At this point we must be made aware that Eily and Hardress are husband and wife, though this has taken place in secret.) Cregan knows that he needs to wed the heiress, Miss Anne Chute, in order to save the estates of his family. He tries to sway Eily to part with her marriage certificate. She is encouraged not to do so by both Father Tom and Myles, but she hates to go against her husband. Hardress is filled with anger at her refusal and vows never to see her again.
Act 2 finds young Cregan courting Mistress Chute, even though he is still in love with Eily. Danny Mann, the boatman and Cregan’s servant, decides that to best serve his master, he must convince Eily O’Connor to give up the certificate (by whatever means necessary!) so that Hardress will woo Anne with more conviction. He takes to Eily a glove belonging to Cregan and tells her it was sent to her because she is needed by Hardress. She is coaxed into Mann’s boat; he takes her to a deserted part of the lake. He demands the marriage certificate and she refuses. In his fury, he throws Eily overboard.
Myles is inside a cave near where Eily goes overboard. He mistakes the boatman for an animal and shoots him. When he sees Eily in the water he saves her and carries her to Father Tom. She is revived and hidden.
Danny Mann makes a death bed confession to killing the Colleen Bawn, and since Hardress’s glove is discovered with him, Cregan is arrested as an accomplice. The Mortgagee Corrigan has insisted upon the arrest, having been rebuffed by Mrs. Cregan and snubbed by Hardress himself.
The aforesaid arrest takes place at the very moment that Hardress is to take Mistress Anne Chute as his bride. Suddenly, Myles arrives with a healthy and very much alive Eily O’Connor declaring that she is Hardress Cregan’s true and lawful wife.
The husband and wife are overjoyed to see each other and embrace. The arrest is forgotten since there is no victim, and Mistress Anne Chute generously gives Hardress and his wife a wedding sum of money, pays off the villain Corrigan, and accepts the advances of another suiter.
For more detailed information on "Lily of Killarney" please click the link below.
Lily of Killarney
Irish Ring
Opera Index
Review of 2007 Production with Anthony Kearns
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