Northern Irish-born playwright and actor (born 1976)
David Ireland (born 1976) is a
Northern Irish -born playwright and actor, known for his award-winning plays Cyprus Avenue and Ulster American .
Early life and career
Ireland was born in
Sandy Row ,
Belfast , but grew up in
Ballybeen ,
Dundonald, County Down , where he attended Brooklands Primary School. He then attended the
Royal Belfast Academical Institution ,
[1] before receiving training at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama .
[2]
In 2009, Ireland's What The Animals Say was produced by Òran Mór in
Glasgow .
[3] In 2010, Everything Between Us , first produced by
Solas Nua and
Tinderbox Theatre Company , was performed in
Belfast ,
Scotland and Washington, D.C. It won the Stewart Parker Trust BBC Radio Drama Award,
[4] and the
Meyer-Whitworth Award for Best New Play.
[5]
In 2016, Ireland's Cyprus Avenue premiered at the
Royal Court Theatre .
[6] It was awarded the 2017
Irish Times Theatre Award for Best New Play, and the 2017
James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Drama. The play then transferred to
The Public Theater , New York City,
[7] the
Abbey Theatre, Dublin ,
[8] and the
Metropolitan Arts Centre , Belfast. It returned to the Royal Court in February 2019 for a four-week run,
[9] and had its Australian debut in May 2019 at Sydney's
Old Fitzroy Theatre .
[10] The Abbey Theatre performance with Stephen Rea was ranked by
The Guardian writers as the 27th best theatre show since 2000.
[11]
In 2018, Ireland's
satirical
dark comedy Ulster American was performed by
Traverse Theatre as part of their
Edinburgh Festival Fringe season.
[12] It was awarded the
Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award for that year.
[13] In 2019, it was nominated for Best Female Performance, Best New Play, Best Production, and Best Male Performance at the
Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland ,
[14] winning the first three.
[15] It had its London debut at
Riverside Studios in 2023 in a production starring
Woody Harrelson ,
Andy Serkis and
Louisa Harland .
[16]
Ireland had played the role of the character Claire’s father in 2018's
Derry Girls .
[17] He wrote the upcoming 2023
Sky Atlantic series
The Lovers .
[18]
Personal life
Ireland met his wife Jennifer while he was acting in Glasgow, where they now live with their children Ada and Elijah.
[1]
Selected works
What The Animals Say (Òran Mór, Glasgow, 2009)
Everything Between Us (Tinderbox Theatre Company, 2010)
Summertime (Tinderbox Theatre Company, 2013)
Can't Forget About You (
Lyric Theatre, Belfast , 2013)
Cyprus Avenue (
Royal Court Theatre , 2016)
The End of Hope (
Soho Theatre , 2017)
Ulster American (
Traverse Theatre , 2018)
Yes So I Said Yes (
Finborough Theatre , 2021)
Selected awards
Selected filmography
Finlay Caulfield - S2 Ep5/6
References
^
a
b McAdam, Noel (11 April 2019).
"Belfast playwright David Ireland on courting controversy with Ulster American" .
The Irish News . Retrieved 9 June 2019 .
^ McCormack, Chris (7 April 2016).
"David Ireland: 'I feel compelled to write about the Troubles' " .
The Stage . Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^
"Theatre review: What The Animals Say" . The Scotsman . 20 May 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^
"Stewart Parker Trust Awards" . Arts Council of Northern Ireland . 25 March 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^
"Everything Between Us – 2017 – Finborough Theatre" . finboroughtheatre.co.uk . Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^
"Cyprus Avenue – Royal Court 2016" . Royal Court . Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^ Brantley, Ben (25 June 2018).
"Review: Stephen Rea Is One Really Mad Man in 'Cyprus Avenue' " .
The New York Times . Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^ Crawley, Peter (17 February 2016).
"Cyprus Avenue review: Stephen Rea delivers a masterful performance" .
The Irish Times . Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^
"Cyprus Avenue – Royal Court 2019" . Royal Court . Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^ Kale, Neha (14 May 2019).
" 'In my family there were a lot of angry men': The political is personal for David Ireland" .
Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 8 June 2019 .
^ Billington, Michael; Soloski, Alexis; Love, Catherine; Fisher, Mark; Wiegand, Chris (17 September 2019).
"The 50 best theatre shows of the 21st century" . The Guardian . Retrieved 17 February 2021 .
^ Cooper, Neil (19 July 2018).
" 'You never hear an Irish American saying they're Protestant,' says playwright David Ireland" .
The Herald . Glasgow. Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^ McElroy, Steven (24 August 2018).
" 'Ulster American' Wins Edinburgh Theater Prize" .
The New York Times . Retrieved 9 June 2019 .
^
"2019 Shortlist – Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS)" . Retrieved 9 June 2019 .
^
"2019 CATS winners announced – Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS)" . Retrieved 9 June 2019 .
^
"Ulster American review – Woody Harrelson and Andy Serkis perfectly awful in anarchic comedy" . Retrieved 14 February 2024 .
^ Lawson, Mark (18 February 2019).
"David Ireland: 'I find it hard to end my plays without violence' " .
The Guardian . Retrieved 8 June 2019 .
^
"Sky Puts Darkly Comic Series 'The Lovers' From 'Doctor Foster' Producer Drama Republic Into Production" . Deadline . 28 June 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023 .
External links
1992–99 2000–09 2010–11
Natasha Langridge for Shraddha (2010)
David Ireland for Everything Between Us (2011)