Playwright Tom Murphy dies, aged 83
The Irish playwright Tom Murphy has died at the age of 83.
The Galway man was associated with the Druid Theatre and is known for works including A Whistle in the Dark and Bailegangaire.
President Michael D. Higgins has been paying tribute, saying that Tom Murphy's contribution to Irish theatre is immeasurable and outstanding.
Murphy’s plays were performed around the world.
In a statement, President Higgins said: "It was with great sadness that Sabina and I have learned of the death of Tom Murphy.
"The importance of Tom Murphy's contribution to Irish theatre is immeasurable and outstanding. We have had no greater use of language for the stage than in the body of work produced by Tom Murphy since his earliest work in the 1960s.
“ I will miss him deeply."
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) May 16, 2018
Statement by President Higgins on the death of Tom Murphy: https://t.co/ANSqyTL0zy pic.twitter.com/HeDmNbIuCL
"His themes were not only those which had influenced the very essence of Irishness, immigration, famine and loss - they were universal in their reach.
"From the early beginnings of his writings in Tuam, Tom Murphy produced a unique and often provocative body of work.
He was above all the great playwright of the emigrant, more than anyone capturing, in a poignant, creative way, the transience that is at the heart of the emigrant experience.
"It was such a joy to meet Tom so many times over the years, and a particular pleasure for any of us who have been privileged to call him our friend.
"I had the pleasure of presenting Tom with the Aosdána torc in his home in 2017, a great acknowledgement by his contemporaries of his outstanding abilities as a writer.
"Sabina and I wish to express our condolences to his wife Jane and to Mary, Bennan, Johnny, Nell and their extended family and his wide circle of friends. I will miss him deeply, but he will be fondly missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him."
The Druid Theatre Company said: “Druid is deeply saddened by the loss of playwright Tom Murphy.
“A native of Tuam, Co Galway, Tom Murphy, already an established Irish writer, became Druid’s Writer in Residence in 1983.
“His relationship with Druid marked an important step for the young company and led to a decades-long relationship culminating in the productions of DruidMurphy in 2013 and Brigit/Bailegangaire in 2014.
“For four decades his work resonated with Irish audiences, creating a deep and enduring legacy.”
Druid first produced plays by Murphy in 1984 – Famine and On The Outside – before premiering Conversations On A Homecoming in April 1985 and Bailegangaire, featuring Siobhan McKenna, in December 1985.
Druid is deeply saddened by the loss of Tom Murphy. Today we have lost a friend, a colleague, a great Irish writer and man of the theatre. Our thoughts tonight are with his wife Jane, with Mary, Bennan, Johnny, Nell & the extended Murphy family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. pic.twitter.com/1av6RCKwK3
— Druid Theatre (@DruidTheatre) May 15, 2018
Druid toured the work widely during the 1980s, taking these Irish stories to new audiences in the US and UK.
Dominic Dromgoole, then artistic director of the Globe Theatre, remembered “these productions as one of the finest examples in the world of a company of actors and director giving particular life to a writer”.
The theatre’s statement said: “Today we have lost a friend, a colleague, a great Irish writer and man of the theatre.”
