Plays

Deeply Regretted By . . . , Maeve Binchy’s classic television play, is a moving and powerful account of a tragedy affecting a woman in London who discovers, on the death of her "husband," that their married life was a lie. The play reflects the sociopolitical realities of Irish men marrying and starting families both at home and abroad, principally after they were forced to emigrate for work. Presenting a brave and revealing account of a hidden layer of Irish society, Maeve Binchy first brought the subject to the surface in her Irish Times story, "Death of Kilburn," also included in this volume.

Best known for her endearing novels, Maeve Binchy is also an award-winning playwright. Published for the first time, Half-Promised Land deals with two young Irish women who visit a kibbutz in 1960s Israel. Binchy explores their actions and emotions as they are confronted with issues of tolerance, belonging and forgiveness, abortion, mental illnesses, and racism. Fans of Binchy’s resilient, sharp-witted female characters will cherish this long-forgotten drama.

Maeve Binchy’s first stage play centers on three teachers in an Irish convent school as their lives are exposed by a devious schoolgirl. Originally produced by the famous Abbey Theatre, this is the world debut of Binchy’s classic text.