I’ll come clean before I start this entry. I do not sit at home musing upon whether or not Brian Friel deserves to be considered Ireland’s pre-eminent playwright. Honest. I had a class on Friel last week which made me question his star-studded, status. Let us not forget the momentous occasion of Friel’s 70th birthday which was celebrated in Dublin with the Friel Festival. This was an extravaganza during which ten of his plays were staged or presented as dramatic readings; in conjunction with the festival were a conference, National Library Exhibition, film screenings, outreach programmes, pre-show talks and the launching of an issue of The Irish University Review devoted to his work. In 2006 Friel was elected a Saoi, one of the five elite members of Aosdána (an association of people in Ireland who have achieved distinction in the arts). There is no doubt that this man is a national celebrity.
