Great Irish Writers

Great Irish Writers MARTIN MCDONAGH

Born in London, 1970, to a mother from Sligo and a father from Galway, Martin McDonagh originally wanted to work in fi lm. Following failed projects in that fi eld, he began sending unsolicited copies of plays he had written to various theatres until the Druid Theatre in Galway took note.

His reputation quickly grew thanks to his Leenane Trilogy, featuring The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1996), A Skull in Connemara (1997) and The Lonesome West (1997). First reception to these dark comictragic tales about psychopaths in rural Ireland was polarized, with many criticising their profanity and extreme violence, as well as McDonagh’s disregard for theatre in favour of cinema. However, as his works continued to be performed – in 1997, he had four plays in production at once in London – his anarchic taboo shattering plots, twisty scripts, depiction of familial dysfunction and exploration of contemporary issues earned acclaim.

McDonagh is renowned for his blend of infl uences, drawing upon the fast-paced dialogue of Quentin Tarantino, the absurdity of Samuel Beckett and the

violence of the Grand Guignol. While some have criticised the playwright for being derivative, McDonagh credits the Irish settings of his early plays – inspired by summers spent in Connemara – as helping him fi nd his own distinct voice.

McDonagh then wrote two more Irish set plays The Cripple of Inishmaan (1997) and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001), as well as his most ambitious theatre work The Pillowman (2003), a dark fairytale set in a police state. He achieved his dream of working in cinema, writing and directing the short fi lm Six Shooter in 2004. Produced by the Irish Film Board, it centres on a grieving widower stuck on a train with a sociopathic teen. The fi lm won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.

Next came his debut full length fi lm In Bruges (2008), featuring Six Shooter star Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as hitmen laying low in the Belgian capital. He followed this with Seven Psychopaths (2012), a selfrefl exive crime comedy about a struggling writer named Martin (Farrell again), who gets in over his head researching a script. His last fi lm Three Billboards

Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) starred Frances McDormand as a mother trying to get justice for her daughter’s unsolved murder. The drama won Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes, while McDormand won Best Actress at the Oscars.

He continues to work in theatre with later plays Hangmen (2015) and A Very Very Very Dark Matter (2018) premiering in London. Meanwhile 2011’s A Behanding in Spokane opened on Broadway starring Christopher Walken as a man searching for his missing hand.

Currently running at the Gaiety until March 14 is a production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, his 90s set play about an IRA man named Mad Padraic who returns home for revenge when his beloved cat is killed. Its ensemble cast includes Alex Murphy (one half of The Young Offenders), Aisling Kearns (Asking for It, Darklands), Cillian O’Gairbhi (Blood), Don Wycherley (Bachelors Walk, Sing Street) and Paul Mescal (lead of the upcoming TV series Normal People). See it to witness McDonagh’s acerbic wit and crackling dialogue fi rst-hand.