Matt Cooper: 'Martin McDonagh: Ireland's best playwright'

pog it

Truly disgusted with this statement by Matt Cooper on his programme today. I didn't hear the word 'arguably' in this statement so truly he needs to be called up on this. He is as entitled as anyone to his opinion but when you say somebody is 'Ireland's best playwright' it needs to be further qualified.

He was talking to Martin McDonagh's brother whose new film 'The Guard' is out now so maybe he got carried away.

But seriously. I have been immersing myself in Irish drama since I saw 'Power Plays', Fintan O'Toole's recent documentary about Irish theatre and playwrights, and have to say that it has been an eye opener, in more ways than I imagined. I loathe how McDonagh and McPherson have been using Irishness as a commodity to sell their plays. They have been more successful abroad than in Ireland and rightly so but they are still feted here also. I read McPherson's 'The Weir' and having heard great talk and praise of it over the years I was expecting it to be something else. It was actually pretty bad, and I would say even the dialect he made up for Leitrim wasn't accurate, with word order mixed up for example. It read like one long boring conversation dressed up as theatre.

I have read two plays by Marina Carr, 'By the Bog of Cats' and 'The Cordelia Dream' and have to say they are true pieces of art. Yet the international success of McPherson and McDonagh gleaned by pawning and using Irishness for fame has them 'i mbéal na ndaoine'.

I get the impression McPherson has been ignored by the Abbey and if so I commend them for putting distance between themselves and his work.

McDonagh might be up there as one of the greatest living Irish playwrights but Brian Friel would be streets ahead of him.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I've only read one play each from Friel and McDonagh, but going by that limited experience I'd rate Friel miles ahead of McDonagh.

pog it

Deleted User wrote: »

McDonagh might be up there as one of the greatest living Irish playwrights but Brian Friel would be streets ahead of him.

To be fair to Matt Cooper I think he meant of the current younger generation, so not including Friel, Murphy, Kilroy, McGuinness and so on

elefant

I'm not the most knowledgeable on Irish theatre, but I've seen a few of McDonagh's plays and I love them. I would say he's my favourite playwright, Irish or otherwise. I think his position as an outsider familiar with Ireland makes his commentary on Irish people and society more, rather than less, effective.

The Princess Bride

elefant wrote: »

I'm not the most knowledgeable on Irish theatre, but I've seen a few of McDonagh's plays and I love them. I would say he's my favourite playwright, Irish or otherwise. I think his position as an outsider familiar with Ireland makes his commentary on Irish people and society more, rather than less, effective.

Ditto! Very talented, have enjoyed all his work to date.

Morlar

I wouldn't get too bent out of shape by any pieces of news from matt cooper to be honest.

I agree he capitalises on Irishness abroad. Mc Donagh is also very popular in Ireland however. Cripple of Inishmann I thought had some cringeworthy moments but was actually a very entertaining evening.

pog it

I do consider him to be very talented of course, he is a great writer. But if Matt Cooper wants to give his opinion about who he thinks is the best playwright right now then he should at the very least qualify it with 'in my opinion' etc. It just sounds arrogant to say such and such is the best and it's unnecessary, even if he was talking to his brother.

metrovelvet

Isnt McDonagh English?

coffee_cake

Deleted User wrote: »

McDonagh might be up there as one of the greatest living Irish playwrights but Brian Friel would be streets ahead of him.

I don't know mcdonagh but he must be awful so, can't stand Friel

metrovelvet

^ As far as I am concerened they [Friel, Murphy, McDonagh,Carr, Mcguinness] all perpetuate the IRish narrative of misery.

My fav contemporary Irish playwrite is Tom Kilroy.

A.Tomas

elefant wrote: »

I'm not the most knowledgeable on Irish theatre, but I've seen a few of McDonagh's plays and I love them. I would say he's my favourite playwright, Irish or otherwise. I think his position as an outsider familiar with Ireland makes his commentary on Irish people and society more, rather than less, effective.

Bollocks, he's some Lannn-dan chancer, who probably grew up upset about being of Irish parents and decided to make some money out of it.

He has courted controversy over some of his plays (re: African-Americans) so it is annoying that he is always called an "Irish playwright".

Even in his new film "The Guard" is an ignorant racist.

Or is it meant to be satire? No not really.

Of course, he's is loved by the British right-wing press, while the Guardian theatre critic thought he was a p.rick.

A.Tomas

Why aren't his plays set in Northern Ireland if they're about the conflict there?

They're set in the west of Ireland for a British audience (a particular type of British audience if you know what I mean). Using the old cliché that Ireland glorifies terrorism, are their own enemies, always about the IRA, etc.

Conor McPherson once called McDonagh's plays "stage Irish", while Malachi O'Doherty called them "paddywhackery". And if Fintan O'Toole thinks they're remarkable well that just says it all.:D

Of course, if you think he is an "English chancer" as the RTÉ guide once referred to him, you must be a narrowminded-jingoist-Catholic-gunman-terrorist-nationalist...sigh.:pac:

Morlar

A.Tomas wrote: »

Bollocks, he's some Lannn-dan chancer, who probably grew up upset about being of Irish parents and decided to make some money out of it.

Have you actually read any of his plays or seen any of his plays performed?

elefant

A.Tomas wrote: »

Bollocks, he's some Lannn-dan chancer, who probably grew up upset about being of Irish parents and decided to make some money out of it.

He has courted controversy over some of his plays (re: African-Americans) so it is annoying that he is always called an "Irish playwright".

Even in his new film "The Guard" is an ignorant racist.

Or is it meant to be satire? No not really.

Of course, he's is loved by the British right-wing press, while the Guardian theatre critic thought he was a p.rick.

'The Guard' isn't his film.

pog it

The way I see it is good luck to him, he's making himself a few bob, but at the same time let's not pretend he's the 'best' in Ireland, or that he's writing for the Irish. However if that's your opinion good luck to you, but to me he just appears to write to make money and so I put him in the same category as Cecilia Ahern or Amy Hubermann.

Conor McPherson's calling McDonagh's work 'stage Irish' is hypocritical. Yes McPherson's writing is less contrived to an extent, but not really.
Here's an interesting article about McPherson.

http://thedubliner.typepad.com/the_dubliner_magazine/2007/04/con_comes_clean.html

Nolanger

metrovelvet wrote: »

Isnt McDonagh English?

That's what I thought this thread was about? McDonagh was born in London but so was Dana so I guess he's as Irish as she is!

A.Tomas

elefant wrote: »

'The Guard' isn't his film.

His brother then (same path all the same).

A.Tomas

Nolanger wrote: »

That's what I thought this thread was about? McDonagh was born in London but so was Dana so I guess he's as Irish as she is!

I don't think Dana is obsessed with stage Irishness and terrorism for a British audience.

I remember a reviewer once meeting McDonagh and saying how he wasn't expecting him to be wearing an Armani suit and to be from London!:)


Can anyone answer why his plays aren't set in NI if they're about the Troubles?

Possibly for the benefit of the deficiencies a British audience (many anyway) have in understanding them.

Nolanger

A.Tomas wrote: »

Can anyone answer why his plays aren't set in NI if they're about the Troubles?

Because Gary Mitchell got there first!

A.Tomas

Nolanger wrote: »

Because Gary Mitchell got there first!

Ye, that ended well for him...


I think Punch magazine did anyway.:D:D:D

Of course Fintan O'Toole and Matt Cooper don't BS us with that! (maybe the Sindo does though ...)

elefant

A.Tomas wrote: »

I don't think Dana is obsessed with stage Irishness and terrorism for a British audience.

I remember a reviewer once meeting McDonagh and saying how he wasn't expecting him to be wearing an Armani suit and to be from London!:)


Can anyone answer why his plays aren't set in NI if they're about the Troubles?

Possibly for the benefit of the deficiencies a British audience (many anyway) have in understanding them.

Which McDonagh plays are about the troubles? All the ones I've seen or heard of are set in the West of Ireland and I don't think they mention the troubles at all.

A.Tomas

elefant wrote: »

Which McDonagh plays are about the troubles? All the ones I've seen or heard of are set in the West of Ireland and I don't think they mention the troubles at all.

Well his best known one, The Lieutenant of Inishmaan, the main character is meant to be in the INLA...cue the inevitable "Irish history lesson"...:rolleyes:


(Apparently it is accurate as the Brits always are with these things) tee-hee...

Nolanger

After hours is -> way!

mikom

A.Tomas wrote: »

Well his best known one, The Lieutenant of Inishmaan,

So "best known" that you managed to garble up

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

and

The cripple of inishmaan

First the brothers Mcdonagh confused and now the plays............ you're not doing yourself any favors here.

A.Tomas

mikom wrote: »

So "best known" that you managed to garble up

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

and

The cripple of inishmaan

First the brothers Mcdonagh confused and now the plays............ you're not doing yourself any favors here.

LOL, I knew someone would be on their period if I got that wrong!:)
Both plays = same prententious sh1te anyhow.

Odd you don't seem to have addressed my point.

You're not doing yourself any favours either. (or is it favors)

mikom

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/favor

Here's a tampon, you're losing blood.

Troll on.

A.Tomas

mikom wrote: »

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/favor

Here's a tampon, you're losing blood.

Troll on.

I guess you're not in the mood to talk about it then.




Anyway, you're not American are you?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/favour

mikom

A.Tomas wrote: »

I guess you're not in the mood to talk about it then.




Anyway, you're not American are you?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/favour

10 years over there bud.
But judging by your post history it would have been worse if I was British.

Troll ya later.

A.Tomas

mikom wrote: »

10 years over there bud.
But judging by your post history it would have been worse if I was British.

Troll ya later.

Ok