Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘House of Guinness’ is a fictional dramatisation of the real Guinness family’s story during the late 19th century. The focus is on Arthur and Edward Guinness, who inherit the family business and most of its fortune. Their political and social manoeuvres to raise the family’s financial and socio-political status are at the heart of the show, but it is also defined by the turbulence in the Irish society. Representing this side of the story are the Cochrane siblings, Patrick and Ellen, who become integral elements of the plot. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Cochrane Siblings Represent the Irish Rebellion
‘House of Guinness’ presents a blend of real and fictional elements to deliver a story rich with complex characters. While the members of the Guinness family are based on real people, the same cannot be said about Ellen and Patrick Cochrane. They are most likely fictional characters who were created to represent the spirit of Irish rebellion in the context of the story. In the show, the siblings are highly active members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which was a real organisation that fought for Ireland’s independence. The Fenian Brotherhood was founded in the late 1850s and served as the American counterpart of the IRB, which started in 1858.
Much like shown in the Netflix series, the members of these organisations were the Irish youth disillusioned with the system that seemed to be working against them. In the aftermath of the famine, the country and its people suffered heavily, and the skewed political and social structure led them to conclude that they needed to fight for themselves and get rid of the current system entirely. Like in any revolution, the IRB also had two types of people. There were those who believed that the movement had to be non-violent, relying on political tactics to get what they wanted. Then there were those who believed that an armed struggle was necessary to get the attention of the government and the powers that be.
While the IRB and the Fenians are known to have been involved in acts of sabotage, there is nothing to confirm that they took this violent fight directly to the Guinness, as shown in the Netflix series. Because the IRB and the rebellion remain such an integral part of that period of Irish history, it was necessary to portray it sensibly while telling the story of the Guinness family. For this, the show’s creators relied on fictional characters, like Ellen and Patrick, to represent two sides of the same coin. Though they are not inspired by any particular real-life IRB members, one could draw parallels between the Cochrane and the O’Leary siblings, Ellen and John.
Much like Ellen Cochrane, Ellen O’Leary was a member of the Ladies’ Committee of the IRB and was heavily involved in spreading the word and campaigning for the cause through her writings. Her brother, John, on the other hand, had become convinced that words alone were not enough to get the Irish their freedom, and other ways had to be adopted to serve the cause. Like Patrick, John, too, was imprisoned and later exiled to America. However, despite these similarities, Ellen and Patrick’s trajectory in the show is heavily fictionalised. The connection between the Guinnesses and the Fenians is also based on conjecture and is invented to serve the tension in the plot.
Niamh McCormack and Seamus O’Hara Took the Responsibility of Portraying Irish History Seriously
When Niamh McCormack got the chance to play the role of Ellen Cochrane in ‘House of Guinness,’ she was immediately drawn in by the strength of the character. She felt that the role was incredibly layered and acknowledged the contribution of women who dedicated their lives to the Irish cause, but whose names were lost to history. Describing her reaction to the character as “visceral,” McCormack said that she could relate to Ellen on a number of levels. The actress referred to Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor as an inspiration for Ellen. She also worked on the character’s costume and overall look with the show’s makeup designer, Konnie Daniel. McCormack said that when she thought about Ellen, she was reminded of a photo of “a woman with long ginger hair, leading a group of people with an Irish flag.”
She shared this detail with Daniel, who also had similar ideas about Ellen. Together, the duo worked on subtle details that reveal a lot about Ellen. For example, her costume is a balance of masculinity and femininity, which shows her desire to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world that restricts the freedom of women, while also holding on to her identity as a strong woman who is ready to fight for what’s right. By the end of the filming, the actress also found out that she had a connection with the IRB.
Her great-grandfather was the First Lieutenant, which means that the DNA of a rebel like Ellen Cochrane was already within her, making it resonate with McCormack even more. In the same vein, Seamus O’Hara, who plays Patrick, also took his role seriously, using it as the opportunity to break stereotypes about Irish characters while getting a chance to represent Irish history on the screen. He talked about the sensitivity with which the role was approached, and the thought that went into humanising all the characters, despite the choices they make, and to shed a light on the true intent behind their action, violent or not.
Read More: House of Guinness: Is Sean Rafferty Based on a Real Person?
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