The Diverse Dramatic Contributions of Frank McGuinness

Abstract

The arc of Frank McGuinness’s career parallels that of the late twentieth century, a period R. F. Foster has described as a time of ‘astonishing transformation’ in the social, political, economic and artistic trends of the Irish Republic (ix). McGuinness himself benefited from this transformation, beginning with the ‘free education’ initiative in the 1960s that enabled him to attend university. He also contributed to it, insisting on artistic freedom and arguing for greater social and economic fairness. As a resident of the Republic he was part of an energetic, forward-looking country. As a native of Donegal, whose border location in the province of Ulster creates ties to Northern Ireland, he was close to a region that seemed throughout most of this period more mired in past tensions and divisions than capable of moving into the modern, globalized world the Republic embraced. Realities of both parts of Ireland are evident in McGuinness’s plays, which also show a sharp awareness not only of the increasingly hardened border between the Irelands, but also of other borders that are both literal and figurative. Not all of the plays have had successful productions on Irish stages, sometimes for complexities of form, sometimes for challenging content. Regardless, Irish and international audiences and playwrights have been particularly aware of the impact of his work, which has helped to expand the repertoire of Irish drama beyond the models set by the founders of the Abbey Theatre.¹