Tom Murphy (playwright)

Tom Murphy (born 1935) is an Irish dramatist who has worked closely with the Abbey Theatre. He was born in Tuam, County Galway. His first successful play, A Whistle in the Dark was performed at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London in 1961 and caused considerable controversy both there and in Dublin when it was later given its Irish premiere at the Abbey.

Subsequent plays include the historical epic "Famine" (1968) which dealt with the Irish Potato Famine of 1848, the anti-clerical "The Sanctuary Lamp" (1975), the lyrical "Bailegangaire" (1985) and "The Gigli Concert" (1983) which is for many his masterpiece. His work is characterised by a constant experimentation in form and content from the apparently naturalistic "A Whistle In The Dark" to the surreal "The Morning After Optimism" and the spectacularly verbal "The Gigli Concert". Recurring themes include the search for redemption and hope in a world apparently deserted by God and filled with suffering.

For many Ireland's greatest living playwright, Tom Murphy was honoured by the Abbey Theatre in 2001 by a retrospective season of six of his plays. His latest plays include "The Wake" (1997) and "The House" (2000).

Reference

• Tom Murphy at Irish Writers Online
• Aosdána short biography