Write a comment
Patrick Carey was born in Kilkeel on the 28th August 1913. His father, Allen Sausmarez Carey had established Mourne Grange Preparatory School in 1901 and both he and his wife, Florence, had a love of music and literature that was to have a lasting influence on both the school and their son.
Following in his father’s academic footsteps, Patrick attended Shrewsbury School and then Oriel College, Oxford. At this time he worked with the Oxford University Dramatic Society and in 1933 become a stage director for the famous theatre director Max Reinhardt, for an Oxford production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Throughout his college years, Patrick spent much of his vacation time helping at Mourne Grange, joining the staff in 1933. Known as ‘Mr. Patrick’ he inspired the beginning of a great tradition of school plays, such as ‘As You Like It’, ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘Philaster’, ‘Henry V’ and ‘Twelfth Night’
During the Second World War Patrick Carey served as a captain in the Royal Army Service Corps and took part in the invasion of Normandy. On his return to Mourne Grange he became Headmaster and connections with the school and the Newpoint Players in Newry were developed.
Patrick Carey soon began to produce some of the Newpoint plays and his first production, ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ with Mourne Grange acting talent, won the premier award at the first ever Newry Drama Festival in 1949. His second production ‘Hamlet’ (also in 1949) was the first to use a cyclorama (a device used to give the illusion of a sky) on Newry Town Hall stage. Patrick would become their main producer when Livy Armstrong, their founding member left the Newry area in 1950. Over the next fifteen years, he produced many notable productions including ‘The Merchant of Venice’, which featured a singing gondolier - had telephones, water buses and even a cocktail bar, George Bernard Shaw’s ‘The Devil’s Disciple’ and, in 1961 he jointly produced ‘Many Young Men of Twenty’ alongside Seamus Mallon (a future Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly).
Patrick was also involved in Newry Musical & Orchestral Society for many years. In 1952 he accepted the post of producer for their production of 'Rose Marie' when Tommy Kelly left the post at short notice. In 1956 he produced Franz Schubert’s Viennese opera 'Lilac Time' and in 1960 he produced Franz Lehár’s operetta, 'The Merry Widow'.
In 1965, Patrick Carey gave up teaching and went to England. He suffered from ill health in his final years and died on 18th February 1976. He was buried in Kilkeel beside his parents.
The Museum is currently offering free tours of the exhibition galleries on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2.00 pm. These must be booked in advance by calling our Education Officer at 0330 137 4422.
Newry and Mourne Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 4.30 pm. Please call 0330 137 4422 or email museum@nmandd.org for further information.
Please visit our new website at www.visitmournemountains.co.uk
