Bull McCabe, an Irish farmer, dumps a dead donkey in a lake.

The donkey's owner blames Bull McCabe for the death and demands "blood money".

The auctioneer's role is considerably reduced from the original play, while new additions include a family of Irish Travellers, despised by Bull McCabe for having lost their connection to the land.

Bull McCabe is played by Marty Maguire, an actor who puts his own strong stamp on the role.

The lead role of "Bull" McCabe was to be played by former Abbey Theatre actor Ray McAnally.

Bull McCabe, the formidable Irish patriarch in "The Field," which opens Friday at the Murray Hill.

But I told Jim, 'I'm going to play Bull McCabe.'

"But Richard Harris had read it, and after Ray died he wanted to play Bull McCabe, and we got on well together, and then we decided to go ahead," he added.

Bull McCabe (Richard Harris) embroils himself in an elemental battle to hang onto the patch of Irish turf he and his family have worked for generations.

Bull McCabe's family has farmed a field for generations, sacrificing endlessly for the sake of the land.