“The Rent Woman” – The Lost First Play by Brendan Behan
A Play-Reading Directed by JIMMY MURPHY, followed by Q&A.
Discover Brendan Behan’s Long-Lost First Play: The Rent Woman
Discovered in the National Library of Ireland in late 2024, The Rent Woman is Act One of Brendan Behan’s long-lost first play. Written in his early twenties while in Mountjoy Jail, the play is bursting with raw energy, wit, and unfiltered insight into Dublin tenement life and class conflict. This is Behan before the myth – alive with promise, precision, and social commentary.
Originally written in English and later reworked into Irish as An Bean Cíosá, the play offers a fascinating bilingual perspective on Behan’s early theatrical vision.
Join acclaimed Irish playwright Jimmy Murphy at the ICC for this exclusive event. Experience a live reading of The Rent Woman, learn about the play’s remarkable discovery, and join a conversation on its continuing relevance. Murphy, an authority on Behan and one of his literary heroes, will introduce the reading and take part in a Q&A exploring what Acts Two and Three might still reveal about Behan and his relationship with the Irish language.
Event Highlights:
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Live reading of Brendan Behan’s The Rent Woman
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Insight into the discovery of Behan’s long-lost play
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Discussion of Behan’s early work and bilingual vision
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Q&A with acclaimed playwright Jimmy Murphy
© Photo from the Estate of Brendan Behan.
Doors: 7.30pm; Starts: 8pm
Tickets: £12
The Cast
The Stella Cast for this Play-Reading of “The Rent Woman” is…
Veronica Quilligan as Mrs Clarke
Nora Connolly as Mrs Keane
Laoisa Sexton as Mags
Tracy Kearney as Mrs Creedon
Patrick Brennan as Jacko
About Playwright Jimmy Murphy
Jimmy Murphy’s plays include The Kings of the Kilburn High Road, The Hen Night Epiphany, Brothers of the Brush, and Of This Brave Time for the Abbey Theatre. His most recent work The Chief was premiered by Decadent Theatre in 2022. During the pandemic, his monologues The Meadow and The Bloodied Field /Joe Traynor were commissioned for the Abbey’s online programme. He is a member of Aosdána and serves on its governing body, An Toscaireacht. Full Cast to be announced.
