Spreading the News, The Rising of the Moon. By Lady Gregory. The Poorhouse. By Lady Gregory and Douglas Hyde. Being Volume X of the Abbey Theatre Series. Dublin: Maunsel & Co., 1906. First Edition. Pp 59, [4]. Original brown printed wrappers, with Abbey logo on front cover, advertisements to rear. A very good copy of this fragile publication.

Autographed letter signed from Lady Gregory on Abbey Theatre stationary loosely inserted (possibly to Wexford born poet Winifred M Letts).

‘Spreading the News’ is a short one-act comic play by Lady Gregory, which she wrote for the opening night of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, 27th Dec. 1904. Co-authored with Gaelic League founder Douglas Hyde, ‘The Poorhouse’ was first staged by the Abbey Theatre on 2nd April 1907.

Lady Gregory is mainly remembered for her work behind the Irish Literary Revival. Her home at Coole Park, County Galway, served as an important meeting place for leading Revival figures, and her early work as a member of the board of the Abbey was at least as important for the theatre’s development as her creative writings.