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The Arts Council Playography Na Gaeilge

People

Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy

1917 - 1994

Michael Joseph Molloy was born and died in Milltown, Co Galway. He originally intended to join the priesthood but was struck down by tuberculosis. It was during the long periods he spent in the hospital that he started writing plays, having been inspired by a childhood visit to the Abbey Theatre. His first play, Old Road, was produced at the Abbey in 1943, as were The Visiting House in 1946 and The King of Friday's Men in 1948. When the old theatre burned down and the company moved to the Queen's Theatre, his plays The Wood of the Whispering and The Paddy Pedlar were produced there, followed by The Will and the Way, The Right Rose Tree, and The Wooing of Duvessa. After the company's return to the rebuilt theatre in 1966, his plays - with their romantic plots and Syngean dialogue -did not find favour, and, with the exception of Petticoat Loose in 1979, none of his later works were performed professionally.

Playwriting Credits

Play Title Playwright
A Right Rose Tree Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
Old Road Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
Petticoat Loose Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
The King of Friday's Men Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
The Paddy Pedlar Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
The Visiting House Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
The Will And The Way Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
The Wood of the Whispering Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy
The Wooing of Duvessa Michael Joseph (M.J.) Molloy