Sive

by John Brendan Keane

Sive is a young and beautiful orphan who lives with her uncle Mike, and his wife Mena. A local matchmaker, Thomasheen Sean Rua, wants Sive to marry an old man called Sean Dota. Thomasheen convinces Mike and Mena to organize the marriage in exchange for two hundred pounds. However, Sive is in love with a young man, Liam, who is labeled unsuitable and is refused permission to marry Sive. Sive is distraught but is forced to do the will of her uncle and his bitter wife. Faced with an unthinkable future she takes the only choice left to her. Set against the harsh poverty and difficult times of 1950s Ireland, Sive caused considerable controversy on its debut in February 1959. Since then it has become an established part of Ireland's theatrical canon.

Genres: Plays, Irish Literature, School, Classics, Drama, Fiction, Ireland

95 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for school. I swear they find the most depressing stories for our exams.

[Barry Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Sive. She's forever stuck as a metaphor of the perils of matchmaking. Mena got what she deserved though, the bitch.

[Chloe]

Leaving Cert 2014 represent.

[alexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

mena needs to pull that stick lodged in her hole out asap

[Caoimhín · Rating 3 out of 5]

nanna is such a girlboss

[Katie O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me: The treatment of women in 1950's Irel -
My Leaving Certs: BUT THEY'RE COUSINS!

[Pip · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Read this with my senior students. Great representation of Ireland in the 1960s. It's difficult to discuss the text separately from the performances I've seen of it (the Dunhill Community Theatre production is absolutely fantastic if you can't go to see the play in person) so a lot of my enjoyment of the text actually comes from actors and set dressing of the productions I've seen. I would highly recommend watching the above mentioned production on YouTube while you read along to get the most out of the experience.

A very good look into the life of young girls with little money in 1960s Ireland. I do enjoy that Sive has little presence in the play considering she is its namesake. It really drives home the fact that Sive's life is not her own, every other character has more power over her choices than she does.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those short stories that tell an amazing tale but are just a bit *too* short. What I mean is that it's so short that I didn't connect to well with any character other than sive. But the story itself is haunting and the ending was just brilliant.

Sive deserved so much better and I hope Mena suffers extremely in the pits of hell that she's bound for.

[Abby Deaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is fiction but the concept is true and it pains me to think that it happened back in the 1950s in rural Ireland

Overall though very well written and will be easy to write about in the LC2026 yupppp

[Sophia Gourley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It actually got good after the first scene but what was that ending- she just kills herself so she doesn’t have to marry him💔it was MEANT TO BE LIAM

[Aoife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty old farmer 🤮🤮🤮

5 stars for King John B ❤️

[Isabelle Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely love the phrases used in old Ireland that this play had no shortage of

“He’s so nice you wouldn’t want to meet him”

The characters were so well written too. Love them or hate them, everyone can agree nanna is such a boss

[Adam Feakins · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a shame

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean Dota, the old, wealthy farmer, goes through a marriage broker to arrange his marriage to the young Sive, the illegitimate orphan daughter of a small holding farmer. But Sive is in love with Liam, a much younger man, who is willing to sacrifice all to get the hand of the girl he loves.

Keane is a darkly comic writer of rural tragedy and 'Sive' is a wonderful example of this. This is not a play with clear, two dimensional villains and each character has some element with which the reader can identify.

[Caoimhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great play, nothing bad to say about it, found it very interesting although I didn’t really feel like it was set in the 1950s but rather early 1900s or before that even. I suppose that was the point. It was really good.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mena glavin they could never make me hate you

[Hannah Pagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Studied in school, really engaging, reflects old Irish society from a unique angle, dive doesn’t get much character. But I understand that’s because the adults in the story objectify her, and we see the story through mostly their dialogue.
I thought the ending was appropriate as it showed each persons true character and we are left wondering if it’s a wake up call or if they will continue on in ignorance.
It’s left on a bit of a cliff hanger as we don’t know how the people will cope. But it is fairly clear how most will live on.

[David Hollywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intense play is populated by such a mixture of malignant, inadequate, innocent and ineffective characters brought together in such a powerfully potent plot of intrigue as to culminate in a truly overwhelming end for the reader.

[Katie Macleod · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the twist at the end but darn those scheming mena and TomaSheen Sean rua I think that nana should have given them both a good slap, but don’t forget Mike he should have stood his ground and forgive Liams and his family for their sins in the lords good name.

[Kate Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I read this book. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for ages so it was about time that I read it! It was easy to follow and it was a short play. The ending surprised me but not in a bad way!

[Caitriona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart wrenching

[Laini Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. The ending was very abrupt.

[AnotherBookLover · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great play, I hope to see it live.

[owais · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Leaving cert is designed to provide us with the most overtly heart-breaking stories that humanity can offer

[Kate]

love how every single irish play has to kill its female protagonist tragically

[Lauren]

Irish leaving cert always has to be tragic

[natasha! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for school
I ❤️ Liam Scuab

[Charlene Baniqued · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️Why did I actually like this

[Ainhoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

nanna the og girlboss

[Saoirse · Rating 3 out of 5]

So uplifting