Outside Mullingar

by John Patrick Shanley

A compassionate and delightful romantic comedy from Pulitzer Prize, Tony and Oscar-winning dramatist John Patrick Shanley, author of Doubt.

Genres: Plays, Drama, American, Theatre, 21st Century, Fiction, Ireland

81 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

John Patrick Shanley was born in The Bronx, New York City, to a telephone operator mother and a meat-packer father. He is a graduate of New York University, and is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.

For his script for the 1987 film, Moonstruck, Shanley won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

In 1990, Shanley directed his script of Joe Versus the Volcano. Shanley also wrote two songs for the movie: "Marooned Without You" and "The Cowboy Song."

In 2004 Shanley was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.

In 2005, Shanley's play Doubt: A Parable was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for Best Play. Doubt: A Parable, is featured in The Fourth Wall, a book of photographs by Amy Arbus in which Shanley also wrote the foreword.

In 2008, Shanley directed a film version of Doubt starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.

Reviews

[Dream.M · Rating 4 out of 5]

امتیازی که دادم در مقایسه با کتاب قبلی ایشون بود. ۳ونیم
فضای روستایی و دیالوگ های واقعی که چالش های اعضای خانواده رو در مواجهه با مسایل حساس زندگی نمایش میده، عالی هستن.
و پرده اخر ... پوففف واقعی
شنلی توی این نمایشنامه چی میخواد بگه؟ شاید میخواد بگه خیلی زود دیر میشه:)

[Sawsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s never too late to take the chance of love
delightful play about a romance of two neighbors in rural Ireland
a woman who determined to have the love of her life even if he is introverted and shy
lovely tale with a happy ending

[صان · Rating 5 out of 5]

داستانش در حد چهار ستاره بود اما فضاسازی هاش و بارونش و ایرلندش و مزرعه و بوی خاکش تبدیلش کرد به پنج ستاره.
:)

[Roya · Rating 3 out of 5]

آیا زمان همیشه همه‌چیز رو درست میکنه؟
نشونه‌ها طرف ما هستند یا ضد ما؟
بالاخره یه روزی از مولینگار بیرون می‌‌ریم و پشت سرمون رو هم نگاه نمی‌کنیم یا زنجیرها رو محکم‌تر به پامون می‌بندیم؟

[Amirhosein Aleavaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

بریده ای از کتاب :

چیزی که بهت حس دیوونگی می‌ده همون چیزیه که ثابت می‌کنه عاقلی.

[مِستر کثافت درونگرا · Rating 4 out of 5]

فصا سازی عالی، دیالوگ های درجه یک

نمایشنامه‌ رو شروع کردم به خوندن و سراسر لذت شدم

[DavidJsays · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best plays I've ever read.
A Family Drama. A Comedy. A breathtakingly beautiful romance. An Irish Dialect.
All fit together into one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read/told.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out in 2014, and liked it, but wanted to reread it after seeing the fine film writer/director Shanley has made from it, retitled 'Wild Mountain Thyme'. This is one case where the movie adaptation vastly improves on the original work, which needed expansion from its longish one-act format. Still a bit skeptical about the whole 'bee' thing in the denouement, but I suppose it almost works.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this play back in 2014, I loved it. I'm happy to say I love it just as much on paper as I did on stage. A true light piece of Irish-themed sweetness. It's funny and quirky and full of romantic hope.

[Brent Simon]

It's been awhile since I've read a book. Leave it to Shanley, one of my favorite story tellers, to get me to want to read again. This play was a good read, and I found myself trying for or hearing an Irish accent while reading it. I very much look forward to the film version coming out soon, Wild Mountain Thyme, which Shanley wrote and directed and in which is the whole and entire reason I sought after, bought and read this book in the first place. Cheers!

[Sheryl Dougherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this after watching the movie Wild Mountain Thyme based on the play. The essence of the play was not lost in the movie and I truly enjoyed both.

[Hasan Abbasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

یک نمایش خوش ساخت از شنلی . درامی در مورد طرز زندگی ایرلندی . دو خانواده روستایی ایرلندی که پدر یک خانواده و مادر خانواده ای دیگر در شرف مرگ هستند را میبینیم . پسر یکی از خانواده ها خلقی غیر عادی , ساده و زنانه و دختر خانواده ی دیگر زنی زیبا , خشن و قدرتمند است . نمایش درباره شکل عشق , طرز زندگی , خلق و خوی ایرلندیان است . دیالوگ نویسی کوتاه , سریع و طنز آمیز است . فضاهای روستایی شدیدا قوی و تاثیر گذارند و شخصیت ها خاص و متفاوتند .

[яσвεят · Rating 2 out of 5]

سعی کردم آخرین کتاب سال ۲۰۲۵ را با یک نمایشنامه تموم کنم
بر خلاف تعریف هایی که از داستان شده بود خیلی یکنواخت بود یعنی از این دست نمایشنامه ها بود که خیلی جذابیت کلیدی ندارن بیشتر
دنبال تغییر معنا هستند

[Amene · Rating 3 out of 5]

فضای ابتدایی اش شبیه به کارهای مکدونا بوداماخب ٱخرش خوبتموم شد ولی همون فضای دورافتاده ی ایرلند ی در متن جاری بود.

[Sina Shahbaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

شروع متوسط، میانه‌ی بهتر و پایان خیلی خوب. صحنه‌ی روردرو شدن رزمری با تونی در حضور ایفا خیلی خوب نوشته شده.

[Riri · Rating 4 out of 5]

پرده آخر انقدر خوب بود که دو سه بار پشت سر هم بهش گوش دادم.

برو پیشش...

-خوانش صوتی


«۲۶ فروردین ۴»

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read plays. But this one is rewarding. Come to think of it, this one could be put on by a small community play organization. Especially during the winter months.

The introduction paragraph hooked me.

"My father came from Ireland and he had the gift of the gab. Part of the reason the Irish developed the gift of the gab was simple. They lived on an island. They had to get along. Not that they did get along. But they had to try. So a style of speaking developed that allowed them to say awful things. With charm."

[jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

outside mullingar is playwright/screenwriter/director john patrick shanley's new work for the stage. shanley's creative range is clearly a wide one, as in addition to the pulitzer, tony, and obie-winning doubt, he also penned the screenplays for both moonstruck and joe versus the volcano (directing the latter, as well). outside mullingar spans five years in the lives of two irish neighbors, as they navigate family, farming, death, and romance. at turns funny, sad, and poignant, shanley's play exudes ample sincerity, sentiment, and spirit.

life holds its miracles, good erupting from darkness chief among them.

~from shanley's 2013 new york times essay, "the darkness of an irish morning" - which serves as the play's introduction and perhaps its origin story, as well.

[Emily Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely little play. Shanley knows how to write for actors. This would be so fun to dig into.

[Hanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

گره های داستان خوب ساخته و پرداخته و باز میشن
خوده قصه جالبه و دیالوگ های کوتاه و پی در پی باعث روون بودنش شده

[Ahmadreza · Rating 4 out of 5]

از یه اثر کوتاه انتظار نداشتم، ولی خسته‌م کرد، عصبانیم کرد، منو به فکر فرو برد، شگفت‌زده‌م کرد، ناراحتم کرد، احساساتیم کرد و... هرکدوم کوتاه، ولی موثر و به یاد ماندنی. لذت بردم.

[Keith Moser · Rating 3 out of 5]

It must have been tough for John Patrick Shanley to follow his Pulitzer Prize-winning Doubt: A Parable since it took almost a decade to release Outside Mullingar.

I remember buying this play years ago because I knew I wasn't going to be able to see it on Broadway, but I seem to remember the advertisements mentioning something like a secret they couldn't reveal... I picked it up at the good ol' Drama Book Shop but never actually read it. I finally got around to it (trying to sneak in a few quick reads before the end of the year to complete my Goodreads Reading Challenge), and I must be misremembering the ads because I can't imagine what secret they might have been talking about.

The story is about Anthony & Rosemary—two neighbors in rural Ireland, each with their own parcel of land and whose parents—Tony & Aoife—are not long for this world. Tony is having second thoughts about leaving his farm to his son; he's thinking about leaving it all to a nephew he has in America. The only problem is, many years ago, in a moment of dire need, he sold a small strip of his land to Aoife's husband—the strip between his house and the road, which means he has to open two gates just to leave or return to his property.

Selling the house to his nephew will be difficult with this awkward land deal, but Aoife tells him that the land is no longer owned by her; her husband gave it to Rosemary when she was younger and she's owned it ever since. When they were children, Anthony pushed Rosemary down on that strip of land and she has held a grudge against him ever since.

And yet she is in love with him while he lives obliviously next door. The play jumps several years between scenes, during which time the two barely speak or even see each other (outside of weekly church services). The play ends with Anthony admitting that he sees himself as a bee (a literal bee, flying through life) while Rosemary admits of her undying affection for him ever since he pushed her.

It's all a little strange in the end, but the writing from Shanley is brilliant. I bet O'Byrne (who I saw on Broadway in Doubt) and Messing were great on Broadway, but after all this time (and possibly a mis-remembered piece of advertising) the script was a little disappointing.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m annoyed with Shanley at this point. Every one of his works feels like he is trying to reach for a self-imposed sense of cleverness. This play feels like the epitome of that try-hard cleverness.

Also, I get the feeling that Shanley believes he will create provocative themes if he just repeats the symbolism/metaphors enough times until the point is hammered home. He’s no Stephen King, thank God(!), but there seems to be very little nuance or thoughtfulness to his use of repetition. The characters repeat their own motif over and over again. Conversations seem to go around in circles (this could have been a much shorter play if some trimming took place). The ending is convenient at best.

I felt close to nothing for these characters despite the desire to relate with Anthony. It is no fun to finish a play think that someone else should have written this piece.

[Anna Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still a bit uncertain about the final twist, but I suppose, it goes well with the quirkiness of the characters, and with Irish drama in general. Also had a chance to compare it with the movie adaptation, "Wild Mountain Thyme", and it was an immersive experience. Amelia Warner did a great job with the soundtrack, highlighting my favourite lines and moments from the play. One of the quotes will certainly be there in my heart for long:
"There's these green fields... and the animals living off them. And over that there's us... living off the animals. And over that there's that which tends to us... and lives off us maybe. Whatever that is... it holds me here"

[John Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice play. Wild mountain thyme (the movie adaptation directed by the author) expands on this play and has a good central performance by Emily Blunt. This play has far fewer scenes than the movie and gets the basic narrative across in less time. Both are very good but I really love the film and I suspect I wouldn't feel so strongly about this play if I hadn't seen the film first.

It's worth reading but you might as well watch the movie instead.

[Reyhaneh br]

پیش‌گفتار نویسنده، انگار خبر از این میده که قراره چی رو با چه دلیلی بخونیم. به ما از پیش‌زمینه‌ها خبر میده.
کمتر دیدم نمایش‌نامه‌ای با قصه‌/روایتی از نویسنده شروع شه. (یا اصلا ندیدم)
کم تعداد بودن شخصیت‌ها و حضور نداشتن‌ دائمی‌شون در همه‌ی صحنه‌ها کمک می‌کرد قصه راحت‌تر پیش بره. بیش‌تر دیالوگ بین دو تا شخصیت بود، تا هم‌زمانی چهار تا شخصیت. حداقل این‌طور به یاد موند که نقاط عطف داستان با حضورهای دوتایی شکل می‌گرفت.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars!

I feel like the film, Wild Mountain Thyme, has followed me around so much in the last year that I decided to just bite the bullet and read the play. And while so much of the dialogue was the same in the movie (as expected) there was also dialogue in the play that added so much value that I wish it was in the film.
I am happy I decided to read the play though. I only hope that I can see it performed onstage one day!

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tony Reilly despairs of ever inheriting the farm as his unrequited love for his neighbour, Rosemary Muldoon grows.

To fully appreciate this play, you need to understand country life in rural Ireland and, although Shanley has some experience of the Irish way of life, some of the lines fall flat. The core of the script is great, which forgives some of the weaker, hokey, lines.

[Gypsysoul_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, but I felt like something was missing? Maybe with staging that component would manifest? But I couldn't connect with the male character at all, and that made it hard to see what Rosemary was so enamored with? (Maybe I'm just too cynical?)

[Barbara J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is a delight to read and watch. I just completed the costume plot for this show as its costumer. If you have the chance to read it--do. If you have a chance to see it--go. You will delight in its real-life magic regarding love, death, and the Irish.