‘“Dancing at Lughnasa” is a triple accomplishment: a memory play, a family portrait, and a social commentary on its time and place.’ J. Beaufort. Discuss.

Brian Friel’s thematic play, Dancing at Lughnasa, has been studied worldwide since its debut in 1990. The critic, J. Beaufort, believes that “Dancing at Lughnasa is a triple accomplishment: a memory play, a family portrait, and a social commentary on its time and place.” This statement accurately depicts the play as a social commentary maintaining a heavy focus on memory, however, Beaufort errs in describing it as a family portrait due to the critical content of change. This play illustrates a household on the verge of disparity in 1930s Ireland, and in doing so, raises questions about commitment, vocation, and the gravity of remembrance.

Throughout the play, Friel utilises the motif of memory. The developing play is replicated from the memories encased within Michael Evan’s mind. Armed with this knowledge, we can understand the lack of chronological order within the play. Though the play describes only a couple of days in the sister’s lives, Michael punctuates these...