Synopsis
In Friel's political satire, the Taoiseach(Prime Minister) F.X. Ryan is at home suffering from the panic attacks, his Minister for Finance returns from Switzerland empty handed, the country is falling asunder and his Foreign Minister is gone AWOL. Mick, the Foreign Minister, who started life as a bookie's clerk, returns with the scheme to save Ireland. The scheme is simple; valuable urban lots worldwide are occupied by useless graves. Mr. Mundy of Texas, makes an offer of $100 per acre for tracts of 'valueless' non-urban land in the West of Ireland, which he sees as the perfect relocation for the dead of the civilised West. There are of course objections from backbenchers but F.X. is complex enough to deal firmly with any challengers.