22:30, Tue 8th – Sat 12th March 2005 at Pembroke New Cellars
Lent Week 7

On Christmas Eve, two strangers arrive in the Irish village of Bochtan. The crops are blighted, and all must prepare for another year of poverty. But in the face of their misfortunes, the villagers begin a laughing contest... Years later, Mommo tells the story of this night of mirth, repeating it time and again without ever reaching its tragic conclusion. Every evening her tale intrudes on her granddaughters' modern lives, and its repetition seems to hide the secret of their broken family. But tonight, things turn out differently...

Tom Murphy´s unique combination of drama and storytelling has made him one of the most acclaimed contemporary Irish dramatists. In this grotesque Christmas tale, he addresses the haunting past of Ireland's poverty with all the fierceness of satire and the black humour of tragi-comedy. When bedtime stories go wrong, and families are torn apart by misfortune, what else can we do... but laugh?