281:. Recurring themes include the search for redemption and hope in a world apparently deserted by God and filled with suffering. Although steeped in the culture and mythology of Ireland, Murphy's work does not trade on familiar clichés of Irish identity, dealing instead with Dostoyevskian themes of violence, nihilism and despair while never losing sight of the presence of laughter, humour and the possibilities of love and transcendence. His works are often described as being filled with rage, with Murphy himself stating "There is a rage in me which I think is a natural thing. It was in me when I was 24 or 25, scribbling with my stub of a pencil. And it's still there in everything I do. Rage not against the unfairness of life – life is of course unfair – but against the inequalities, the arrogance of power."
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said: "The importance of Tom Murphy’s contribution to Irish theatre is immeasurable and outstanding. We have had no greater use of language for the stage than in the body of work produced by Tom Murphy since his earliest work in the 1960s."
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He began writing in the late 1950s: "In 1958, my best friend said to me, why don't we write a play? I didn't think it was an unusual question, because in 1958 everyone in
Ireland was writing a play". His second play,
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and received a hostile reception due to its anti-Catholic nature, with theatregoers walking out and much negative criticism in the media. After this controversy, Murphy worked as a farmer for some years.
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Considered by many to be one of
Ireland's greatest playwrights, Tom Murphy was honoured by the Abbey Theatre in 2001 by a retrospective season of six of his plays. His plays include the historical epic
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in London in 1961 and caused considerable controversy both there and in Dublin when it was later given its Irish premiere at the Abbey having initially been rejected by its artistic director.
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in the eponymous role. In 2006 Murphy directed the Irish premiere of the same play at the
Peacock Theatre in Dublin with Jane Brennan in the lead role. In 2009, his play,
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Murphy died on 15 May 2018. He is survived by his wife, actress Jane
Brennan, and his three children by his first wife Mary and a granddaughter. The President of Ireland
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in Tuam, was an apprentice at the Tuam Sugar
Factory and later became a metalwork teacher at Archbishop McHale College.
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His work is characterised by a constant experimentation in form and content from the apparently naturalistic
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until he was left alone with his mother. He played at centre half back for the Galway
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130:(23 February 1935 – 15 May 2018) was an Irish dramatist who worked closely with the
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This article is about the Irish playwright. For the
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Younger playwrights whose work shows an indebtedness to him include
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doollee.com listing of Tom Murphy's works written for the stage
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648:"Home to Darkness: An Interview with Playwright Tom Murphy"
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556:"Playwright Tom Murphy: 'There is a rage within me'"
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Though Murphy was religious as a boy, his 1975 play
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252:(1983) and for many his masterpiece, the lyrical
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240:between 1846 and spring 1847, the anti-clerical
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580:ToibĂn, Colm (Summer 2012).
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273:The Morning After Optimism
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401:The Vicar of Wakefield
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802:Druid Theatre Company
735:A Whistle In the Dark
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327:was performed at the
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134:in Dublin and with
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607:Carney, Jim
371:The Orphans
304:(2000) and
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776:Categories
723:Tom Murphy
657:19 October
591:19 October
565:19 October
538:References
177:Birmingham
128:Tom Murphy
44:1935-02-23
32:Tom Murphy
721:Plays by
500:The House
433:The Blue
323:His play
302:The House
57:, Ireland
634:Playbill
494:The Wake
435:Macushla
342:(1994).
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298:The Wake
246:(1975),
832:Saoithe
333:Dalston
120:Aosdána
118:of the
762:(1985)
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738:(1961)
533:(1994)
520:(2014)
518:Brigit
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234:Famine
144:Dublin
92:Famine
525:Novel
351:Plays
659:2013
593:2013
567:2013
292:and
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169:Tuam
163:Life
116:Saoi
62:Died
51:Tuam
38:Born
331:in
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