Colin Murphy's Political Plays: 100 Years of Irish History(Methuen Drama Play Collections)

"The approach of mixing the factual with the fictional works brilliantly in delivering a spectacle that pulls off the difficult task of being both hugely entertaining and yet remains, a rigorous work.” - Sunday Independent Colin Murphy is one of Ireland's most significant writers for stage, screen and documentary. In his first published play collection his work shows a history of Ireland from 1916 through to 2010, taking in significant moments of political action and change. Featuring an introduction from the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, this offers a unique look at a culture on a consistent brink of change. 1916: Inside the GPO: The must-see cultural event at the heart of the 1916 commemorations, this unprecedented documentary drama allowed audiences a once-in-a-century opportunity to experience the Easter Rising, in the main hall of the GPO itself. 1921: The Treaty: A history play for this moment. One hundred years ago a small group of untested politicians left Dublin for London to negotiate for Irish independence with one of the most formidable delegations ever put together. The Irish wanted a hard exit from the British Empire; the British tried to tempt them with the Canada option. And overseeing it all was a prime minister nobody trusted, notorious for his wizardry. 1982: Haughey/Gregory: Follows the deal between Tony Gregory and Charles Haughey in 1982, when Gregory takes a surprise Dáil seat - and suddenly finds himself holding the balance of power. Can Gregory use his vote to achieve something for his constituents? To do so, he will have to face off against the dominant personality of Irish politics - Charles J Haughey. 2008: Guaranteed! On the night of September 29, 2008, the Taoiseach and Minister for Finance decided to guarantee Ireland's banks – to the tune of €440 billion. Guaranteed! tells the story of that night, and how they got there. Based on official documents and off-the-record interviews, it reconstructs Ireland's banking boom and bust – as it was seen from inside the corridors of power. 2010: Bailed Out! On November 28th 2010 Brian Lenihan, Ireland's Minister for Finance, alone at the airport en route to Brussels looked into the snow and thought, 'This is terrible. No Irish minister has ever had to do this before.' Bailed Out! tells the story of how Ireland fell into the jaws of the Troika.

Table of Contents:
Introduction from Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland Inside the GPO The Treaty Haughey/Gregory Guaranteed! Bailed Out!

About the Author :
Colin Murphy writes plays about politics, and journalism. He is the author of a series of plays on Irish political history: Haughey/Gregory, on the 1982 "Gregory Deal”, Inside the GPO, on the Easter Rising, Guaranteed!, on the bank guarantee of 2008, and Bailed Out!, on the subsequent crisis and Troika “bailout” of 2010, all produced by Fishamble. He adapted the latter two for screen, as The Guarantee and The Bailout (both produced by John Kelleher Media). He adapted the Charlie Bird book A Day in May for the stage. His verbatim dramas, Jack Duggan's War and Judging Shaw (based on Fintan O'Toole's book of the same name) have been staged by ANU Productions. His short film Leave to Remain was made for RTÉ Storyland (produced by Treasure Entertainment). He writes a weekly column for the Sunday Business Post.

Review :
It is clear that Colin Murphy, like many an Irish playwright before him going back to O'Casey and beyond, has an acute realisation that the arc of history bends not just to tragedy but to farce.