Friel, Brian

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Northern Irish dramatist and short-story writer. Friel's work often addresses social and historical pressures that contribute to the Irish political situation. He distinguishes himself as a playwright by his experiments with dramatic forms and by his precise, often poetically charged language. His work dramatizes the interactions and tensions between history and myth, and change and tradition, and explores the effects of these processes on individuals, the family, and the wider community, especially concentrating on rural society.

Born in Omagh, County Tyrone, and educated in Northern Ireland, Friel has lived in the Republic since 1967. His first success was with Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1964), which examines the issue of emigration in the 1960s. Later plays include the critically acclaimed Dancing at Lughnasa (1990; filmed 1998).

It is said that berries were used to dye the flag. Red represents the blood shed in the past and the willingness to offer it again. White stands for right, truth, the honour of free citizens, and trustworthiness. Effective date: 27 February 1990. >>