
Set in a windswept, crag‑filled district of eastern Ireland centuries ago, the play opens with Martin Doul, a weather‑worn blind beggar, and his equally sightless wife Mary. Their sharp‑tongued, affectionate repartee about looks, voices and the hardships of a life spent in rain establishes a lively, earthy humor. As they shuffle among stone walls and a ruined church doorway, the audience is drawn into a world where superstition and survival intertwine.
Soon other villagers appear: Timmy the robust smith, the pretty Molly Byrne, the hopeful bride, and a wandering friar known only as the Saint. Their intersecting ambitions and jealousies swirl around the legendary Well of the Saints, a place rumored to grant sight and fortune. The first act teases rival claims and comic misunderstandings, promising a lively clash of personalities that will keep listeners both amused and curious.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (80K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Judy Boss, and David Widger
Release date
1998-03-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1871–1909
A leading voice of the Irish Literary Revival, this playwright turned close observation of rural life on the Aran Islands and in the west of Ireland into vivid, lyrical drama. Best known for works including Riders to the Sea and The Playboy of the Western World, he wrote plays that were both poetic and startlingly alive.
View all books
by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by Francesco Petrarca, J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by J. M. (John Millington) Synge

by J. M. (John Millington) Synge