The irreplaceable humour and drama of Flann O’Brien in three unmissable dramatisations of the great Irish writer’s best-loved works

Frequently described as one of the ‘holy trinity’ of contemporary Irish writers alongside James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, Brian O’Nolan (better known as Flann O’Brien) is acclaimed for his absurdist metafictional novels At Swim-Two-Birds and The Third Policeman. He also wrote a daily Irish Times column, ‘Cruiskeen Lawn’, under the pen-name Myles na gCopaleen. Radio adaptations of his dazzling debut and his hilarious newspaper pieces are included here.

At Swim-Two-Birds – 1930s Dublin, and student Myles – needing money for porter and racing tips – starts to write a novel with ‘three openings and one hundred endings’. Among the characters in his kingdom of the mind are Finn McCool, legendary hero turned storyteller, and Dermot Trellis, proprietor of the Red Swan Hotel and aspiring novelist. And when one of Trellis’s protagonists decides to write their own novel, our story-within-a-story takes on yet another dimension. Starring Niall Buggy, Patrick McAlinney and Jim Norton.

The Brother – Compiled from various ‘Brother’ articles in the ‘Cruiskeen Lawn’ column, these readings by Jim Norton, with Kevin Moore, introduce us to the ‘extraordinary genius’ that is The Brother – and his remarkable talking dog, a sheepdog beyond compare. In these three tall tales, the inimitable Brother (who can turn his hand to anything under the sun) directs his attention to his long-suffering landlady; learns French, and suffers from a leaky valve...

The Cruiskeen Lawn – Presented in sketch-show style, these two surreal dramatisations of Myles na gCopaleen’s satirical Irish Times writings confront us with an array of vociferous comic characters who each have a surprising opinion on the oddities, ironies and absurdities of life. Meet madcap punsters Keats and Chapman, spend some time in the company of the immortal Brother, and hear the singular views of ‘The Plain People of Ireland’… Performed by Brendan Cauldwell, Malcolm Douglas, Luke Griffin, Dierdre Monaghan, Gerry O’Brien, Dan Reardon and Jonathan White.

Cast and credits
Written by Flann O’Brien

At-Swim-Two-Birds
Myles – Niall Buggy
Uncle – Patrick McAlinney
Brinsley – Jim Norton
Finn/Dermot Trellis – Denys Hawthorne
Furriskey – Donal McCann
Tipster/Lamont – Sean Barrett
Shanahan – Kevin Flood
Pooka – Patrick Magee
Fairy – Kate Binchy
Jesuit/Sweeny – Allan McClelland
Conan/Moling – David Blake Kelly
Ronan/Corcoran – Alan Barry
Orlick – Tom McCabe
Tracy – Wesley Murphy
Kelly/Casey – Harry Webster
Cow – Elizabeth Morgan

The Brother
Performed by Jim Norton with Kevin Moore

The Cruiskeen Lawn
Cast: Brendan Cauldwell, Malcolm Douglas, Luke Griffin, Dierdre Monaghan, Gerry O’Brien, Dan Reardon and Jonathan White

Based on the writings of Flann O’Brien adapted for radio by Owen Dudley Edwards

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