Peter Grimes or ambiguous the various characters are. Pears was certainly the intended Peter Grimes, and it is likely that Britten wrote the role of Ellen Orford for Joan Cross. The work has been called "a powerful allegory of homosexual oppression", and one of "the true operatic masterpieces of the 20th century", but the composer's own contemporary (1948) summation of the work was simpler: a subject very close to my heart — the struggle of the individual against the masses. The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual. Though as the writing of the libretto progressed, certain versions showed Grimes'
Éamonn Grimes later when his friend and fellow member and benefactor of the South Liberties club, J.P. McManus, named his successful racehorse "Grimes" in his honour. Éamonn Grimes Éamonn Grimes (born 1947) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a midfielder for the Limerick senior team. Grimes joined the team during the 1966 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement after the 1981 championship. During that time he won one All-Ireland medal, four Munster medals (two as a substitute), one National Hurling League medal and two All-Star awards. An All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions, Grimes