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Christmas eve at Mulligan's cover

Christmas eve at Mulligan's

Chapter 4: Transcriber’s Notes
By Marie Irish
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Plays/Films/Dramas

About This Book

Set on Christmas Eve in a family's living room, the play follows parents and children who juggle hope and worry while their son undergoes treatment so he might see. Children daydream about gifts as parents fret about money and arranging a welcome; neighbors arrive with comic banter, domestic teasing, and practical consolation. Scenes shift between lighthearted exchanges and tender concern, using colloquial speech, small-stage action, and occasional songs to create a compact community portrait of sacrifice, generosity, and holiday anticipation.

Dannie:

Oh, yes.

Nurse:

Dannie and I wrote this song for you to sing on Christmas eve. We want you all to help. [She gives out pieces of paper with the words.] It goes this way. [She hums the tune of “Yankee Doodle.”] Let’s stand by Dannie to sing. [Katie and Rosie kneel in front of him; his father and mother stand back of him; Mrs. O’Brien and Nurse on one side, Patsy and Jones on the other. They sing]:

Once Dannie’s eyes were shut up tight,
He could not see a mite, sir;
The doctor fixed them good as new,
And Dannie got his sight, sir.
Merry, merry Christmas day,
Dannie now can see, sir;
He has brought home two good eyes,
He’s happy as can be, sir.
Mulligan:

That’s fine! Let’s sing it again. [They sing it still more lustily.]

Mrs. O’B.:

’Tis home we must be goin’ an’ we wish the Mulligans a splendid merry Christmas.

Mrs. M.:

Peace an’ goodwill on earth an’ a merry Christmas to ev’rybody.

CURTAIN

Transcriber’s Notes

Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and accents have been standardized but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged.