ALLEN DOONE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1366, 17 February 1912, Page 10

ALLEN DOONE.

WELCOMED BY HIBERNIANS. IDEAS ABOUT THE STAGE IBISHMr Ulen Doone, tho Irish singer and comedian, who is to appearat the Opera Mouso this evening 111 "Sweet Co ""y Kerry," was accorded a welcome to \\elIfni'ton voslerdav afternoon by a has.ilysumiiioned gathering of members ot tho Hibernian Society, who wished to (to honour to their player-countryman. Mr. Doom; is Irish-American—that is to say lie was born in Ireland but "raised 111 America —the laud of "Irish ' comedians. Ho docs not lock the least bit in tho world like a comedian, but that was not whv he wished to change faces with .Mr. K 'J. Fitzgibbon. That was a thought liorn of a desire to appear in classical Irish drama. Mr. Doono favours tiro •'beauteous melancholy" of that typo ot Irishmen in whoso blood there may perehauce run a trace of the haughty and adventurous Spaniard, who had a habit iu medieval limes of dropping in on Ireland en route to premeditated conquests of fair Albion. ,He is tall and spare, with pale, clear-cut features and black, wavy hair. When in reposo his face would indicate that ho had all the troubles of the country of his origin on. his mind—when lie talks and smiles there are glimpse,s of those flashes ot. golden sunshine that occur between the rain showers 011 a County lyrono laudside. . T , At yesterday's gathering Mr. J. J. Bourke welcomed the visitor on behalt of those present, and expressed 111s pleasure at being able io meet so distinguished aii 'exponent of Irish character. Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald also welcomed the visitor, and hoped that his tour would be

pleasant and profitable. Mr. Fitzgiblwu, after remarking that Mr. Doone's lace betrayed his country, said there was a need for the portrayal 011 the stage of Irishmen as they really were, as (he Irish had Jjcen Jong enough caricatured on the stage. 11c recalled what the Rov. Dr. Cleary had saiu on the same subject to the effect that it most stage Irishmen got their deserts they would bo hissed oil tho stage. It was a curious fact that tho Irish-Ameri-can actor appeared to succeed best in portraying the true Irish character and in doing so they reflected credit on the land of their birth. Tho sons and daughters of Irish parents who had settled in this country had tho same strong love for tho Old Country as their forefathers, and they. appreciated any acior who faithfully reflected the personal characteristics of tlie real Insli. Mr. Doono would find here a public that could appreciate a good actor, and no hoped his stay in New Zealand would be pleasant and prosperous. Mr. Doone, in thanking thoso present for the honour .done him, said ho would be brief as he know they were all business men and could not spare a great deal ot time He had been an Irish comedian siuco liovimd, an.l though there were other lines in which he might have done equally well, he loved to play Irish part>. Itis people had been strongly set against the old style of stage Irishman, and lie had endeavoured to the best ni his ability to keep eli'ir of him. He naul a tribute to Mr. Andrew Mack,' by saying, that that actor's plays wore always clean, and the sentiment cf them was near the heart. Mr. Muck hailed from Falls Iliver, wliero the cottoi mills in the early days—twenty ago —were nearly all operated by the Irish, and in that city at one time woro colonies of Irish pmnle, seme of whom spoko Gaelic, and there could be heard the language spoken with the same old t'.vistings of words and sayings as he would hear from his own mother. Some of the newsiwpers had said that his plays were old-fashioned, but that, perhaps, was a virtue, as they always seemed pleas-' ing to Irish playgoers, and it was he himself who had sacrificed much of tho so-called comedy to keep them sweet, clean, and wholesome. Ho had a good company, which included old Tom Buckley, l<'r.ink Cullinane, and C. R. Stanford, all Irishmen, who were first-class actors. In the opening piece, "Sweet County Kerry," ho could promiso them a produc-' tion seldom equalled in this or any other, country. Ho ,'vas delighted with tho re. ception which had'been accorded to him in New Zealand, and hoped to come back next year. (Applause.)