The Cripple of Inishmaan is a dark comedy by
Martin McDonaghMartin McDonagh is an English playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter.-Life:McDonagh was born in Camberwell, London, England to Irish parents...
who links the story to the real life filming of the documentary
Man of AranMan of Aran is a documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty, a fictional documentary on life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland...
.
Set on the small
Aran IslandsThe Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. Irish is the main spoken language on all three islands, and is the language used naming the islands and their villages and townlands...
community of
InishmaanInishmaan is the middle of the three main Aran Islands in Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. It is part of County Galway in the province of Connacht. Inishmaan has a population of about 160, making it the smallest of the Aran Islands in terms of population...
off the Western Coast of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, circa 1934, the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew's arrival in neighbouring
InishmoreInishmore is the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay in Ireland and has an area of .-History:Prior to the 20th century, the island was more commonly called Aranmore in English; from the traditional Irish name, leading to confusion with Arranmore, County Donegal...
to make
a documentaryMan of Aran is a documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty, a fictional documentary on life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland...
about life on the
islandsThe Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. Irish is the main spoken language on all three islands, and is the language used naming the islands and their villages and townlands...
. "Cripple" Billy Claven, eager to escape the gossip, poverty and boredom of Inishmaan, vies for a part in the film, and to everyone's surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his chance.
The Cripple of Inishmaan opened in 1997 at
Royal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company....
(Cottesloe) in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
The Cripple of Inishmaan is a dark comedy by
Martin McDonaghMartin McDonagh is an English playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter.-Life:McDonagh was born in Camberwell, London, England to Irish parents...
who links the story to the real life filming of the documentary
Man of AranMan of Aran is a documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty, a fictional documentary on life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland...
.
Set on the small
Aran IslandsThe Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. Irish is the main spoken language on all three islands, and is the language used naming the islands and their villages and townlands...
community of
InishmaanInishmaan is the middle of the three main Aran Islands in Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. It is part of County Galway in the province of Connacht. Inishmaan has a population of about 160, making it the smallest of the Aran Islands in terms of population...
off the Western Coast of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, circa 1934, the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew's arrival in neighbouring
InishmoreInishmore is the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay in Ireland and has an area of .-History:Prior to the 20th century, the island was more commonly called Aranmore in English; from the traditional Irish name, leading to confusion with Arranmore, County Donegal...
to make
a documentaryMan of Aran is a documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty, a fictional documentary on life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland...
about life on the
islandsThe Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. Irish is the main spoken language on all three islands, and is the language used naming the islands and their villages and townlands...
. "Cripple" Billy Claven, eager to escape the gossip, poverty and boredom of Inishmaan, vies for a part in the film, and to everyone's surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his chance.
The play
The Cripple of Inishmaan opened in 1997 at
Royal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company....
(Cottesloe) in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. In 1998, it opened at Joseph Papp Public Theater in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, again with
Ruaidhri ConroyRúaidhrí Conroy is an Irish actor.Conroy was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of actor Brendan Conroy. One of his first castings was as 'Tito' in the film Into the West, for which he won a Young Artist Award in the Outstanding Youth Actors in a Family Foreign Film category.In 1998, Conroy received...
in the title role. In the same year,
Frederick KoehlerFrederick Koehler is an American actor best known for his role as Chip on Kate & Allie as well as Andrew Schillinger on the HBO drama Oz.- Film work :* Death Race – Lists* Little Chenier – Pemon Dupuis...
played Billy in Los Angeles. In December 2008,
The Cripple of Inishmaan was produced in New York City by the
Atlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater Company is an award-winning off-Broadway, not-for-profit theater whose mission is to produce great plays simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble. Inspired by the Group Theatre and Stanislavsky, the Atlantic Theater Company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H....
in conjunction with The Druid Theatre Company of Galway, Ireland.
Characters
- Billy Claven, a crippled orphan
- Kate Osbourne, Billy's adoptive aunt who has been known to talk to stones
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
- Eileen Osbourne, Billy's other adoptive aunt and Kate's sister
- Johnnypateenmike, the town gossip
- Helen McCormick, a tough girl Billy has had a crush on for some time
- Bartley McCormick, Helen's brother
- Babbybobby Bennett, a boatman whose wife died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria...
- Doctor McSharry, the town doctor
A physician — also known as medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor — practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury...
- Mammy O'Dougal, Johnnypateenmike's alcoholic 90 year-old mother
Book
- McDonagh, Martin. The Cripple of Inishmaan. Methuen Modern Plays. 1997. (Hardcover) ISBN 0-413-71590-6
- McDonagh, Martin. The Cripple of Inishmaan. Vintage International. 1998. (Paperback) ISBN 0-375-70523-6