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Reviewer Denise Lozeau

Denise Lozeau is a Library Specialist II at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Review

Skull of Connermara

By Martin McDonagh

A little bit of background…..

Martin McDonagh is a popular Irish-British playwright. For the most part, his plays are set in Ireland.

I recently saw a stage production of Skull of Connermara advertised online, but realized I would be unable to attend the production. It was actually a stage READING of the script as opposed to a full stage production.  Instead, I chose to read the script myself. I found a copy of The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Other Plays, by Martin McDonagh here at Chambers Library. Other titles in the book were The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lonesome West. I have seen a stage production of The Lonesome West production before locally and loved it. This was one of the reasons I was anxious to read Skull of Connermara.

Skull of Connermara is a relatively short story about a resident of Connermara, Mick Dowd, who has the unusual job of exhuming skeletons in the local graveyard to make room for more burials. The time has come to exhume the bones of his late wife. Apparently, at the time of her death, there was some speculation about her cause of death ~ was it an accident? or murder?

The book was a very enjoyable read with the very different culture and language differences, as well as trying to decipher the motives and action of the four characters in the story. Unexpectedly, more than once he makes you say, “hmm… interesting….” ~ just when you thought you pretty much knew what was going on. I actually read this story in one sitting. With its undertones of Gothic and a little bit of gore, I can’t wait to see a stage production of this play.

Having seen the stage production, I’m certain an alternate title in this volume, The Lonesome West, is an entertaining read as well.  The Lonesome West is the tale of two brothers wrangling over their deceased father’s estate, also set in Ireland.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane is the opening story in this volume, and I have yet to read it… I will keep you posted….