Was the hanging of William Joyce justified?
“This book is a classic. Mary Kenny’s book made me laugh aloud, and weep, and think. It is sympathetic, in all the right ways, to the monster it portrays.”
A.N. Wilson, Evening Standard.
A reading based on Germany Calling is in rehearsal – for details see the performance and events page.
William Joyce, known as “Lord Haw-Haw” was the last man to be hanged by the British Crown for High Treason, because he had been a notorious broadcaster for the Nazi Germany during World War II. Born in America, he grew up in the West of Ireland, and his grave is now at Bohermore Cemetery, Galway.
Seventy years after his execution, the validity of his trial is still a matter of dispute among lawyers: what Joyce did may have shown moral turpitude, but was the Crown judicially entitled to execute him? This is a narrative about his trial, and the efforts made by his brother to save him from the gallows. Mary Kenny has drawn upon her researches for her acclaimed biography of Joy, “Germany Calling”, in reconstructing the story.
Mary will be happy to send a copy of the play to any actor who would like to read it (or anyone interested in the subject). Mary can be contacted directly at mary@mary-kenny.com.
Also available by post at
Kildare Street Books
P.O. Box 10073
Dublin 2
MARYKENNY 