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Second City Trilogy
Three stage plays (The Cure, When I Was God & After Luke) – conceived as a tragicomic exploration of various father-son relationships, set against the social, historical and topographical background of Cork City, the second city of the Republic of Ireland. The trilogy is comprised of three short plays and is structured such that the casting requirements of all three plays can be met by three actors, with each actor appearing in two of the plays.THE CURE. In times of personal crisis, either a cure or a miracle may be required to turn a life around. Our anti-hero is incapable of confronting and dealing with a number of personal issues. It is a recurring theme in his life, a theme that has been handed down, from generation to generation through the male line in his family, like a baton in a relay race. We meet him trawling the streets looking for an early morning pub in search of a cure. But fate takes a hand to his feet and the streets of Cork become his road to Damascus.WHEN I WAS GOD. It’s FAI Cup Final day. Referee Dino Keegan is retiring from the game. At half-time the spotlight of self-doubt shines directly down on Dino as the ghosts of his past visit him in his dressing room. On the field of dreams the referee is God, but what happens when God is made man?AFTER LUKE. Is inspired by the parable of the Prodigal Son, in St. Luke’s Gospel. It explores greed-driven frenzy surrounding the property market at the height of the Celtic Tiger economy. The action unfolds in that contentious place where concrete and asphalt meet pasture and stone and urban necessity collides with the rural idyll – with devastatingly tragic consequences.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published November 12, 2021
6 people want to read
About the author
Conal Creedon
12 books13 followersCónal Creedon is a novelist, playwright and documentary film maker
www.conalcreedon.com
Ever since his bizarre, surreal, pseudo-‐radio soap -‐ Under The Goldie Fish hit the airwaves [1994-‐98] [Irish Times Best Of The Year Radio for 1996 & 1998] Cónal has established a loyal audience for his work. There followed commissions from RTE1, BBC4 and BBC World Service – Cónal has written over sixty hours of original fiction for radio.
BEGOTTEN NOT MADE is Cónal’s second novel.
Cónal’s previous novel – Passion Play [1999] – was cited as BOOK OF THE YEAR [BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Review] and received high critical acclaim.
"The novel’s interior is much indebted to Joyce. The way Creedon combines the child-‐centred perspective of Paddy Clarke Ha! Ha! Ha! with the tough teenage world of The Commitments and the domestic cruelty of The Woman Who Walked Into Doors is ambitious and effective. His exposition of his characters’ thought processes owes much to Flann O’Brien’s skewed sophistication and Patrick McCabe’s scabrous vision as to an earlier prototype of Seán O’Casey’s Joxer. Creedon has found a form all of his own." – C.L. Dallat – Times Literary Review [TLS, London].
Other books by Cónal: Pancho & Lefty Ride Out [collection of short stories -‐ 1996], The Second City Trilogy [trilogy of plays 2007], The Immortal Deed of Michael O’Leary [WW1 historical biography 2015] and Cornerstone [collection of UCC student short fiction 2016].
Cónal’s theatre work includes - The Trial Of Jesus [2000], a large-scale promenade pageant, commissioned and produced as part of the Irish National Millennium Celebrations. The production was awarded two Business2Arts Awards by President Mary McAleese and was nominated for Special Judges Award at The Irish Times Theatre Awards.
In 2001, his stage play Glory Be To The Father was commissioned and produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company. The production embarked on a whistle‐stop Irish national tour.
The Second City Trilogy [a trilogy of stage plays – When I Was God, After Luke, The Cure] was commissioned by The European Capital of Culture 2005. The Irish premiere production ran for four months at the Half-Moon Theatre before transferring to the Cork Opera House main stage. In 2009, the plays premiered in New York -‐ where they picked up a number of awards at the Irish New York Theatre Awards - 2009 & 2013 [Best Actor, Best Director & Nominated Best Playwright]. The Second City Trilogy has had a number of productions in New York and has received high critical acclaim from theatre critics in the New York Times and a number of other New York Arts periodicals. The Second City Trilogy premiered in China as part of the Culture Ireland Program at World Expo Shanghai 2010 and returned to Shanghai in 2011 to feature in the Shanghai International JUE Festival 2011.
Cónal has produced and directed a number of film documentaries - The Burning of Cork [2005], Why The Guns Remained Silent [2006], If it’s Spiced Beef [2007], The Boys of Fair Hill [2008] and Flynnie, The Man who Walked Like Shakespeare [2009] – shortlisted for The Focal International Documentary Awards, London UK.
The documentaries were broadcast by RTE and screened at various festivals – including at the Irish Pavilion in Shanghai, during World Expo [2010].
In recognition of Cónal’s contribution to the Arts. – In 2017 Cónal was appointed Adjunct Professor to the School of English at University College Cork [UCC] and Heritage Ambassador by Cork City Council. In July 2018, Cónal was nominated for Person of the Year 2018.
www.conalcreedon.com
Ever since his bizarre, surreal, pseudo-‐radio soap -‐ Under The Goldie Fish hit the airwaves [1994-‐98] [Irish Times Best Of The Year Radio for 1996 & 1998] Cónal has established a loyal audience for his work. There followed commissions from RTE1, BBC4 and BBC World Service – Cónal has written over sixty hours of original fiction for radio.
BEGOTTEN NOT MADE is Cónal’s second novel.
Cónal’s previous novel – Passion Play [1999] – was cited as BOOK OF THE YEAR [BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Review] and received high critical acclaim.
"The novel’s interior is much indebted to Joyce. The way Creedon combines the child-‐centred perspective of Paddy Clarke Ha! Ha! Ha! with the tough teenage world of The Commitments and the domestic cruelty of The Woman Who Walked Into Doors is ambitious and effective. His exposition of his characters’ thought processes owes much to Flann O’Brien’s skewed sophistication and Patrick McCabe’s scabrous vision as to an earlier prototype of Seán O’Casey’s Joxer. Creedon has found a form all of his own." – C.L. Dallat – Times Literary Review [TLS, London].
Other books by Cónal: Pancho & Lefty Ride Out [collection of short stories -‐ 1996], The Second City Trilogy [trilogy of plays 2007], The Immortal Deed of Michael O’Leary [WW1 historical biography 2015] and Cornerstone [collection of UCC student short fiction 2016].
Cónal’s theatre work includes - The Trial Of Jesus [2000], a large-scale promenade pageant, commissioned and produced as part of the Irish National Millennium Celebrations. The production was awarded two Business2Arts Awards by President Mary McAleese and was nominated for Special Judges Award at The Irish Times Theatre Awards.
In 2001, his stage play Glory Be To The Father was commissioned and produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company. The production embarked on a whistle‐stop Irish national tour.
The Second City Trilogy [a trilogy of stage plays – When I Was God, After Luke, The Cure] was commissioned by The European Capital of Culture 2005. The Irish premiere production ran for four months at the Half-Moon Theatre before transferring to the Cork Opera House main stage. In 2009, the plays premiered in New York -‐ where they picked up a number of awards at the Irish New York Theatre Awards - 2009 & 2013 [Best Actor, Best Director & Nominated Best Playwright]. The Second City Trilogy has had a number of productions in New York and has received high critical acclaim from theatre critics in the New York Times and a number of other New York Arts periodicals. The Second City Trilogy premiered in China as part of the Culture Ireland Program at World Expo Shanghai 2010 and returned to Shanghai in 2011 to feature in the Shanghai International JUE Festival 2011.
Cónal has produced and directed a number of film documentaries - The Burning of Cork [2005], Why The Guns Remained Silent [2006], If it’s Spiced Beef [2007], The Boys of Fair Hill [2008] and Flynnie, The Man who Walked Like Shakespeare [2009] – shortlisted for The Focal International Documentary Awards, London UK.
The documentaries were broadcast by RTE and screened at various festivals – including at the Irish Pavilion in Shanghai, during World Expo [2010].
In recognition of Cónal’s contribution to the Arts. – In 2017 Cónal was appointed Adjunct Professor to the School of English at University College Cork [UCC] and Heritage Ambassador by Cork City Council. In July 2018, Cónal was nominated for Person of the Year 2018.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 16, 2020
The characters just pop off the page so to speak.
Enjoyed immensely and now feel I know Maneen ,Dinny , Brother Keenan and all the other personalities .
Would recommend this book to anyone , but if you have a soft spot for Cork than its a must .
Enjoyed immensely and now feel I know Maneen ,Dinny , Brother Keenan and all the other personalities .
Would recommend this book to anyone , but if you have a soft spot for Cork than its a must .
Displaying 1 of 1 review