There's a million in the middle - and they might go either way. On May 22nd, 2015, the people of Ireland voted resoundingly for marriage equality - making Ireland the first country in the world to introduce gay marriage by popular vote. Little about Ireland's 20th-century history suggested that the country would find itself at the vanguard of LGBT+ rights. "Homosexual conduct may lead a mildly homosexually-orientated person into a way of life from which he may never recover," warned the Irish Supreme Court in 1982. Homosexuality remained criminalised till 1993. But a long, hard fight by determined activists, as well as the individual efforts and sacrifices of thousands of ordinary people, gradually made the case for gay rights and, eventually, marriage equality. Colin Murphy's documentary drama, based on interviews by the journalist Charlie Bird, charts the arc of that fight - culminating in the fervour of the final campaign weeks - interwoven with the personal stories of some of those who were touched by it. This edition was published to coincide with the presentation of A Day in May at Dublin's Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire, in October 2022.

The deadliest ever dictionary of Irish slang! Can you tell your cute hoors from your chancers, or your gougers from your gurriers? Do you know a slapper, a snapper, a shaper or a sleeveen when you see one? No? Well, that's coola boola, because we've put together the most massive, mighty and manky collection of Irish slang in history, or at least in donkey's years. So stop acting the maggot and give it a lash! 'Side-splitting ... Irish Slang's the business!' The Sun

You think this is dignified? A bunch of students playing with someone’s medical records? Why did 20th century Ireland lock up so many people? After all the scandals about Ireland’s institutions - the industrial schools, the mother and baby homes, the Magdalene laundries - why have we still barely investigated the largest institutions of them all: the psychiatric hospitals? Today, Grangegorman is home to the newly opened campus of Technological University Dublin. But for nearly 200 years, it housed a forbidding institution behind high walls. The Asylum Workshop is a new documentary play by Colin Murphy about the history of Ireland’s first public psychiatric hospital. Drawing on unique access to the hospital’s archives, it weaves together verbatim testimony from patients and families, reports from doctors and nurses, and analysis from historians and psychiatrists. This edition is published to coincide with the production by Technological University Dublin and Grangegorman Histories in the East Quad Black Box Theatre in June 2023.

Forget the boring stuff you learned in school. Here's the REAL skinny on Irish history. Invasions, Emergencies, one Big Rising, all sorts of Troubles; the Siege of Limerick (continuing), Paddy of the Snakes, Niall of the Nine Hostages, The Big Fella, The Long Fella, Aer Lingus and the Flight of the Earls, Daniel O'Connell, Wolfe Tone and other singers, Gun-running at Howth, Wind-surfing at Lahinch; the IRB, the IRA, the EEC, the GAA, the Celtic Tiger, RIP. With illustrations that put the Book of Kells in the ha'penny place.

The Emerald Isle has something for everyone, from the stupendous coastline and cliffs of the Wild Atlantic Way in the west to the culture and cuisine of the Ancient East; from the castles and forts of the historic north to the famed golden beaches of the beautiful south - and not forgetting the mighty craic and decent watering holes to be found everywhere in between! Humorous information about 50 key tourist attractions in Ireland, accompanied by photographs and illustrations. A light-hearted guide of Ireland for natives and visitors alike. Featured destinations include: The Game of Thrones Tour The Giant's Causeway Coastal Route Kilmainham Gaol Glasnevin Cemetery & Museum Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth Powerscourt House & Gardens King John's Castle Irish National Stud & Gardens Yeats Country

As a serious study of the nuances of the English language as spoken in Ireland, this book is as useful as tits on a bull. On the other hand, if you'd like to have a baldy of understanding the various expressions you regularly hear around Ireland, you'd have to be off your face to ignore it. So stall the ball there! Whether you're a fine bit of stuff or you have a head like a lump of wet turf, this invaluable collection of Ireland's most treasured (and irreverent) sayings is definitely worth having a gander at!

New edition of this bestselling and laugh out loud humour title. The almost incomprehensible wit and wonder of Irish slang words. Can you tell your bowsies from your gougers from your gurriers? No? Well, it's time to stop acting the maggot and find out, courtesy of this invaluable reference book that's been donkey's years in the making, (only coddin'). It's absolutely jammers with nouns, verbs and sayings that didn't quite make the Oxford Dictionary, including a few manky ones that are guaranteed to leave some oul' wans and Holy Joes completely morto.On the other hand, slappers and sleeveens will be dying for a gawk. So, feck it, you just know this is one book any self-respecting cute hoor just can't do without ...

Got some time on your hands before you hit Dublin's famous pubs? Then you need this book, an invaluable guide to twenty of Dublin's highlights for visitors and native alike. History, culture, strangeness and beauty are all here -- along with a list of the local hostelries to visit and let the experience soak in. Sprinkled with the wit of Murphy and O'Dea, best known for the Feckin' Collection. Includes: Christ Church Cathedral Dublin Castle The Chester Beatty Library The Guinness Storehouse Trinity College Temple Bar Royal Hospital, Kilmainham (IMMA) Old Jameson Distillery O'Connell Street & The GPO And many more! Updated for 2017.

Do you love the taste of Red Lemonade, change into your swimming togs under a towel on the beach or find yourself admiring 'the grand stretch in the evenings'? Then this book, jammed with hilarious reflections on what it is to be Irish, will have you nodding in agreement with every turn of the page. Contains approximately 100 things that Irish people like, such as; Waving hello to complete strangers on country roads. Using the 'cupla focal' to stress our Irishness when on holidays. Going for a few pints after mass. Claiming a relative who fought in the Easter Rising. Explaining hurling to foreigners. Nicknaming statues, for example 'The Floozie in the Jacuzzi'.

A deadly compendium of all your favourite feckin' booksDo you know the difference between a bowsie and a cute hoor? Can you sing all the words to 'Raggle Taggle Gypsy' or whip up a Beef and Guinness casserole with a side of Boxty? If these questions have you scratching your head, then look no further. Discover how feckin' deadly Irish Slang can be, find out why plastic-wrap played a vital role in the sex lives of the Irish in the seventies, learn the words to the most beloved Irish songs and get the recipes for the most famous and delicious Irish dishes. The Feckin' Book of Everything Irish is a laughter-filled guide to the genuine culture of Ireland.

Contemporary Irish Documentary Theatre is the first anthology of Irish documentary drama. It features five challenging plays by Irish writers, and one by an international author, interrogating and commenting on crucial events of Irish history and of the diaspora, with introductory essays by established academics. Together these plays represent the most innovative development in contemporary Irish theatre and illuminate the social and political realities of contemporary Ireland. The first two plays, of 2010 and 2013, deal with scandals of clerical and institutional abuse, and use as source material the Ryan Report of 2009, and the documents from the 2008 Irish Bank Guarantee. The next two, of 2014 and 2013, concern interpretations of the most iconic moment of Irish history: the Easter Rising. The first of these is based on published statements of participants in the event and the second on the lived experiences of those in the contemporary Republic whose founding ideals have not been realized . The last two plays, of 2015 and 2016, widen the view to the history of the Irish in the diaspora: one retelling the history of emigration to England based on published research material; and the other tracing Roger Casement's experiences in the Amazon and his subsequent participation in the Easter Rising using extracts from his diaries and other writings. The plays included and discussed are: No Escape by Mary Raftery Guaranteed by Colin Murphy Of This Brave Time by Jimmy Murphy History by Grace Dyas My English Tongue, My Irish Heart by Martin Lynch The Two Deaths of Roger Casement by Domingos Nunez

In October 1921, a delegation of the Dail left by boat and train for London, where they were to negotiate with the British government for peace, unity and a republic. They came back with just one of those; and that peace didn't last long, as war with Britain was replaced by war with their own. Were the Irish outclassed or outgunned? Were they lied to? Did they lie to their own colleagues back in Dublin? Or did they achieve the best that could be achieved, an incremental step on the way to fuller sovereignty? The Treaty tells the story of what happened inside those negotiations, as Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and colleagues faced off against one of the most formidable negotiating teams ever assembled, headed by David Lloyd George and with Winston Churchill often at his side. This edition is published to coincide with Fishamble's production in November 2021.

Those Feckin' lads are back! Packed full of hilarious banter and craic, The Feckin' Book of Ceilis, Come-all-yes, Claddagh Rings and other Blarney is stuffed with topics that the Irish are famous for, whether they like it or not! Includes... The Aran Sweater The Full Irish Breakfast Irish Stew Kissing the Blarney Stone The Bodhran and the craic to be had at Wakes. And many more

Contemporary Irish Documentary Theatre is the first anthology of Irish documentary drama. It features five challenging plays by Irish writers, and one by an international author, interrogating and commenting on crucial events of Irish history and of the diaspora, with introductory essays by established academics. Together these plays represent the most innovative development in contemporary Irish theatre and illuminate the social and political realities of contemporary Ireland. The first two plays, of 2010 and 2013, deal with scandals of clerical and institutional abuse, and use as source material the Ryan Report of 2009, and the documents from the 2008 Irish Bank Guarantee. The next two, of 2014 and 2013, concern interpretations of the most iconic moment of Irish history: the Easter Rising. The first of these is based on published statements of participants in the event and the second on the lived experiences of those in the contemporary Republic whose founding ideals have not been realized . The last two plays, of 2015 and 2016, widen the view to the history of the Irish in the diaspora: one retelling the history of emigration to England based on published research material; and the other tracing Roger Casement's experiences in the Amazon and his subsequent participation in the Easter Rising using extracts from his diaries and other writings. The plays included and discussed are: No Escape by Mary Raftery Guaranteed by Colin Murphy Of This Brave Time by Jimmy Murphy History by Grace Dyas My English Tongue, My Irish Heart by Martin Lynch The Two Deaths of Roger Casement by Domingos Nunez

A fascinating investigation the lives of four priest hunters - Sean na Sagart, Edward Tyrrell, Barry Lowe and John Garzia. Ireland in the aftermath of Cromwell - during this period Catholicism and Irish nationalism became inexorably linked and priests were outlawed. The Priest Hunters shines a light on these men who hunted them. Sean naSagart was Irishman who was been condemned to death for horse stealing but was reprieved on condition he become a priest hunter. Edward Tyrrell was an English mercenary driven solely by greed. Barry Lowe indulged in such acts as tying a priest behind his horse and dragging him through the brush. John Garzia, who had fled the Spanish Inquisition, arrived in Ireland and evidently sought revenge hunting down priests. An incredible account of some of the most hated men in Ireland.

Boycott - a word whose meaning is known the world over. But it once belonged to a man. Two brothers, Owen and Thomas Joyce, barely survive the horror of the great famine that devastated Ireland in the 1840s. But it left a lasting effect on both of them. Three decades later they are thrown together during the Land War, when evictions and landlord cruelty reach an intolerable level. But Thomas places his trust in the gun, while Owen backs the passive resistance advocated by the Land League. Captain Charles Boycott, an English land agent in Mayo, becomes the first to suffer this new form of revolt, when he and his family are ostracised. It is a David versus Goliath situation, with Boycott supported by the military, the police, the press, the British Government. How can peasants stand against an empire? And how will the two brothers reconcile their differences and confront their troubled past? A novel of brotherly love and brotherly conflict.

More trivia about Ireland than you ever needed to know! Distract yourself from doom-and-gloom with useless information: guaranteed to make you a hit at parties or gatherings of more than one person! This book contains jewels like the following: During the first half of the nineteenth century, the average number of CHILDREN per household in Ireland was 10. An ancient Irish marriage ritual called 'handfasting', involved tying a rope between the newlyweds' wrists for 366 days. It is said that this is where the expression 'TYING THE KNOT' originated.

New edition of this bestselling and laugh-out-loud humour title. Hey you! Yeah, you holding this book, you with the face like a constipated greyhound. You're the sap in the family tree. Wouldn't know your langer from your thumb except for the nail. Word is if brains were taxed you'd be due a rebate. But why stand there and be insulted? With the help of this invaluable collection of Irish insults, you'll be able to tell your boss that for someone without cows he produces an awful lot of bullshit. Or your husband he's as useful as a concrete currach. Or you might observe that your wife's arse is as wide as a Leitrim hurler's shot.

A housing crisis, a hung Dail and an unlikely alliance. Haughey|Gregory follows the deal made between Tony Gregory and Charles Haughey in 1982, when Gregory took a surprise Dail seat - and suddenly found himself holding the balance of power. Dublin's Inner City is devastated by unemployment and addiction - and the planners' solution is simply to bulldoze it. But the general election results in the novice TD, Tony Gregory, 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.

Bestselling author, Colin Murphy, explores the historical figures and events that have existed for centuries in the fringes and brings them out into the open for the reader. Full of historical stories which will intrigue you, captivate you, revolt you and even make you laugh! Colin Murphy welcomes you into the fringes of history where shocking stories and compelling facts await you... Fierce History is a collection of bizarre, grotesque and unexpected episodes from history from all over the world, and from ancient to more modern including: Siblings of famous people Al Capone's brother who hunted down illegal distillers Irishman Frank Shackleton, brother of legendary Antarctic explorer Ernest, who was pretty much rubbish at everything, and may have stolen the Irish Crown Jewels Napoleon's sex-maniac sister Weird historical incidents Flaming camels of war, Living turkey parachutes; Crazy assassination attempts Bizarre medical practices: Dr Evan O'Neill Kane, who in 1921 performed an appendectomy on himself. 'Radioactive water' to cure arthritis, gout, neuralgias, poor circulation and a variety of other illnesses - eh, no, it just kills you. Remarkable children: William Rowan Hamilton by the age of twelve could speak fourteen languages, and went on to discover the quaternion, essential to the development of modern theories of electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, scratching his new mathematical formula on to the side of Broom Bridge in north Dublin