Ireland has produced some of the best playwrights in the world - Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and Martin McDonagh.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, McDonagh has produced a number of tremendous plays -- and some great movies as well. One of his most famous plays, though, is The Lieutenant of Inishmore (which premiered in 2001). It tells the darkly comedic story of the crazed leader of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) named Padraic who one day discovers that his cat has been killed. Really, though, The Lieutenant of Inishmore is an exploration of the political violence which has engulfed Ireland for much of its history, and how some of those -- particularly the aforementioned main character -- who perpetrate said violence are numb to the emotions of those who harm or kill. It is a story of loss, revenge, and the cycle of violence which has plagued Ireland for centuries.
Like most of McDonagh's plays, The Lieutenant of Inishmore was exceptionally well-received. Michael Billington of The Guardian, for example, loved the 2018 London staging of the play, calling it a "terrific" and "shocking comedy" at "it's blackest." Produced twice on Broadway, The Lieutenant of Inishmore received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Play in 2006.
