false 34171 1 0
Friel was born in Omagh County Tyrone, the son of Patrick "Paddy" Friel, a primary school teacher and later a borough councillor in Derry, and Mary McLoone, postmistress of Glenties, County Donegal (Ulf Dantanus provides the most detail regarding Friel's parents and grandparents, see Books below). He received his education at St. Columb's College in Derry and the seminary at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth (1945-48) from which he received his B.A., then he received his teacher's training at St. Mary's Training College in Belfast, 1949-50. He married Anne Morrison in 1954, with whom he has four daughters and one son; they remain married. From 1950 until 1960, he worked as a Maths teacher in the Derry primary and intermediate school system, until taking leave in 1960 to live off his savings and pursue a career as writer. In 1966, the Friels moved from 13 Malborough Street, Derry to Muff, County Donegal, eventually settling outside Greencastle, County Donegal.

He was appointed to the Irish Senate in 1987 and served through 1989. In 1989, BBC Radio launched a "Brian Friel Season", a series devoted a six-play season to his work, the first living playwright to be so distinguished. In 1999 (April-August), Friel's 70th birthday was celebrated in Dublin with the Friel Festival during which ten of his plays were staged or presented as dramatic readings throughout Dublin; in conjunction with the festival were a conference, National Library exhibition, film screenings, outreach programs, pre-show talks, and the launching of a special issue of The Irish University Review devoted to the playwright; in 1999, he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Times.

On 22 January 2006 Friel was presented with a gold Torc by President Mary McAleese in recognition of the fact that the members of Aosdána have elected him a Saoi. Only five members of Aosdána can hold this honour at any one time and Friel joined fellow Saoithe Louis leBrocquy, Benedict Kiely (d. 2007), Seamus Heaney and Anthony Cronin. On acceptance of the gold Torc, Friel quipped, "I knew that being made a Saoi, really getting this award, is extreme unction; it is a final anointment--Aosdana's last rites."

In November 2008, Queen's University of Belfast announced its intention to build a new theatre complex and research center to be named The Brian Friel Theatre and Centre for Theatre Research.



]]> male Omagh 1929/02/09 859500 0571117422 9780571117420 26 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178951447m/859500.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178951447s/859500.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/859500.Translations_A_Play 3.94 299 </div>]]> 34171 3.89 766 53 1981 196859 0571144799 9780571144792 9 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223641749m/196859.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223641749s/196859.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196859.Dancing_at_Lughnasa_A_Play 3.75 210 </div>]]> 34171 3.89 766 53 1992 410583 0571085865 9780571085866 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174510495m/410583.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174510495s/410583.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/410583.Philadelphia_Here_I_Come_A_Comedy_in_Three_Acts 3.65 43
With this play Brian Friel made his reputation and it is now an acknowledged classic of modern drama.
</div>]]> 34171 3.89 766 53 1994 410581 0571214584 9780571214587 3 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174510487m/410581.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174510487s/410581.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/410581.Faith_Healer 4.36 28 34171 3.89 766 53 1980 489312 0822215322 9780822215325 1 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175187090m/489312.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175187090s/489312.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/489312.Molly_Sweeney 3.69 26 34171 3.89 766 53 1994 903973 0813206278 9780813206271 1 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179327519m/903973.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179327519s/903973.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/903973.Selected_Plays_of_Brian_Friel 4.11 19 34171 3.89 766 53 1984 196860 0571197108 9780571197101 0 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172603174m/196860.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172603174s/196860.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196860.Plays_2_Dancing_at_Lughnasa_Fathers_and_Sons_Making_History_Wonderful_Tennessee_and_Molly_Sweeney 3.94 18 Dancing at Lughnasa
Fathers and Sons
Making History
Wonderful Tennessee
Molly Sweeney

Introduced by Christopher Murray, this second collection of Brian Friel's plays includes some of his most acclaimed work for the stage.

From the troubled family life of five sisters in 1930s Donegal that is the core of Dancing at Lughnasa (now a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep) to the current-day birthday celebration that is the major external event of Wonderful Tennessee, Brian Friel demonstrates his emotional range and empathy for his characters. He evokes not simply the interior landscape of human beings trapped in their domestic situation but the wider landscape-interior and exterior-of which they are a part.
</div>]]> 34171 3.89 766 53 1999 410567 090401164X 9780904011647 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/410567.Lovers 4.06 17 34171 3.89 766 53 1968 410584 0573609152 9780573609152 1 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/410584.The_Freedom_of_the_City 4.21 14 34171 3.89 766 53 1975 945796 0571154778 9780571154777 2 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179692147m/945796.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179692147s/945796.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/945796.Making_History 2.73 11 34171 3.89 766 53 1989