Portia Coughlan

It is Portia Coughlan’s 30^th birthday, but she has little to celebrate. Haunted by the tragic drowning of her twin brother 15 years earlier, she drifts sorrowfully through a world suspended somewhere between the living and the dead; a tormented space separating her emotionally from her husband, her children, and an enviable life that could have been.  As Portia navigates her way through this landmark birthday, defined by yearning and loss, she is guided by a spectral presence determined to lead her back to a disturbing past and to some dangerous unfinished business

Portia Coughlan is a play that digs deeply and quietly into the darkest corners of grief and dysfunction. Peopled by a cast of eccentric and darkly humorous characters, Marina Carr brings us right into the heart of a midlands Irish town, drawing us into a rich landscape where layers of secrets and lies continue to throw their long and awful shadow.

Modern Ireland in 100 Art Works – Royal Irish Academy 2016. 100 artworks chosen to represent each year from 1916-2015, tracing the story of Ireland’s creative output from the revolutionary period until today. Portia Coughlan was selected by Fintan O’Toole as the significant artwork for 1996.

 ‘This unforgettable story remains searing in its relevance’ The Irish Times

‘One of the most important Irish plays of the twentieth century’ The Arts Review

‘A play with a strong storyline, strong characters and strong emotions’ The Irish Independent

Please note:  This play contains themes which some audience members may find distressing.