Jonathan Swift Festival: And Then There Was Gulliver

And Then There Was Gulliver is a new stage musical that covers real events in the life of Jonathan Swift, as he wrote his masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels.

In this funny and entertaining show, we see Swift during his time as a press advisor to Robert Harley’s London government (1711-1714); his ‘banishment’ to Dublin as Dean in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (1713); his A Modest Proposal satire that called for the eating of Irish children; his political agitation in Dublin; and the secret publication of Gulliver’s Travels (1726) which was an instant success, but was so controversial that it was never published under Swift’s name while he was alive.

The show also describes Swift’s relationships with two women, Stella and Vanessa, and the dramatic events in 1723 when they found out about each other.

And Then There Was Gulliver written by Gerry Mullins for the Jonathan Swift Festival to commemorate the 300^th anniversary of the publication of Gulliver’s Travels. Gerry’s previous musical about Jonathan Swift, Savage Indignation, received its premiere in St Patrick’s Cathedral during the Jonathan Swift Festival in 2024. It proved instantly popular and played several other venues before returning to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for the Jonathan Swift Festival in 2025.

There are nine actors in the cast. The show runs for around 2 hours and 12 minutes. There are two acts, separated by one break.