Irish Pagan Dance as a Redemptive Force for the Celebration of Life: A Study ofBrian Friel’sDancing at Lughnasa

Abstract

Dancing at Lughnasa,isBrian Friel's beautiful, spirited, powerful stage play about five sisters living in a house inCounty Donegal, Ireland.In the turbulent times of 1936, the five unmarried Mundy sisters live in a modest croft at the heart of a rugged farm outside Ballybeg, a small town in Donegal. The imperious teacher Kate, the irreverent big-hearted keeper ofthe hearth Maggie, the serene familial rudder Agnes, the sweetly eccentric and simple-minded Rose, and the lonely romantic Christina,has creased the family reputation with an illegitimate son,all are heavenly bodies revolving around the 8-year old love child, Michael.Setagainst the pagan ritual of an offering of thefirst-cut corn to the god Lugh,Friel’sDancing at Lughnasavividly depicts the frustrated but animated Mundy sisters and other male characters. By reacting impulsively to the sudden music that blares out through their radio set, they break into a frenzy of uninhibited wild dancing as theirtribalfestival of Lughnasa. The Mundy sisters other male characters take resort to the Irish Pagan Danceas it offers them theenergy to overcome their frustration from the burden of life and convention of society.