Overview
In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director
Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighbouring island to film his
documentary Man of Aran. No one is more excited than Billy, an unloved
and crippled boy whose chief occupation has been gazing at cows and
yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to
cross the sea and audition for the Yank. As news of his audacity
ripples through his rumour-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan
becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and
mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order. With this bleak yet
uproariously funny play, Martin McDonagh fulfilled the promise of his
award-winning The Beauty Queen of Leenane while confirming his place in a
tradition that extends from Synge to O'Casey and Brendan Behan. This
Student Edition, complete with plot summary and scholarly notes, is
edited by Dr. P.J. Mathews of University College Dublin.