Tom O'Brien

Terry, Chris and Larry are three Irish friends in the London of the 1960's with little in common except their liking for 'dishonest work'. Chris is a pickpocket in the West End; the time of the first race determines what time Larry gets out of bed; Terry's aversion to manual labour is so strong that he says 'I'd rather starve than work on the fucking buildings'. Then there is Bannaher, the big man, the 'subby', who is publicising his new pub venture by having a friend of theirs temporarily buried alive in the pub's back garden. 'A charity lie-in', he calls it. Into this mix comes Tessa, blonde, English and 'out to screw the world before it screws me'. Before she is finished all their lives have changed irrevocably. It's a tale of greed and deception that trawls the pubs and building sites of Kilburn and Cricklewood, and the mean street of Limerick.

QUEENIE....is the story of Victoria Dwan (Queenie), who has been institutionalised since an early age. Most of her life has been spent at the mental institution called St Josephs, although in later years she has been living there as a voluntary patient. Now, St Joseph's is coming down and Queenie has been "released" into the community at large. Her first port of call is to revival of the open-air stage-dancing at Granagh Cross, which she remembers from her youth. Her visit brings back to her memories of the tragic events which caused her to lose her sanity - and very nearly her life. Not always able to separate present-day reality from the past, Queenie also possesses second-sight - frightening psychic powers, which, in the past had seen many in the neighbourhood label her a witch.

JOHNJO...is the study of a man from the cradle to the grave. Forced to go on the run from his Comeragh hill farm at an early age, Johnjo washes up in Lincolnshire in war-time England. Working on farms, and often finding himself treated worse than the prisoners-of-war, he goes on the run again. And so begins a life-long association with 'the lump' - the dark underbelly of the construction industry. From building motorways and living in camps you 'wouldn't keep a decent dog in', we eventually find him working in London for a 'subby' called Bannaher - not having been home to Ireland for more than thirty years. Disillusioned and bitter at having been ground down by the harshness of his life, he, nevertheless, hangs on to a few sparks of defiance. The final straw comes when he sees his friend (lover?) buried alive in the trench they are working in, and he embarks on a rebellious 'last hurrah'.

PUT YOUR SWEET LIPS...set in the summer of 1963, this play tells the tale of the formation of THE YOUNG DEVILS showband. Formed by a group of youths who work in the packing room of the local mill, and beset by rivalries and petty jealousies, the group at last seem to be on the road to success when they are joined by a new female lead singer from London. Sandra, however, is more than they bargained for, and after a chaotic concert they fall foul of both the parish priest and the parish council. The ensuing squabbling reveals the skeletons in the various cupboards, culminating in an act of violence that leaves a mark on each of the band members.

This is an original investigation of how movies have reflected and helped to shape the values of a generation. From All the President’s Men to Wall Street, US films of the 1970s and 80s were a kaleidoscope of shifting values and contrasting moral viewpoints. Knowing that movies mirror the way we think we are – or would like to be – O’Brien focuses on the key values (or their absence) found in films from this period in order to see more clearly what Americans really cherished in life, and how these values have evolved or changed. Comprehensive and thought provoking, this book addresses how and why movies glamorized and portrayed certain professions; the changing role of women; the targeting of religion for satire; the addressing of environmental issues and film’s representation of and engagement with history.

A play with music about the travelling musicians of Ireland, mostly concentrating on Pecker Dunne and Margaret Barry. They were both from travelling families, Tinkers, and were marginalised by Irish society. Looked down on, indeed persecuted for their way of life. Both were great singers and musicians, and along with the great Johnny Doran, did more to promote Irish traditional music than almost any other person of our times. Both are dead now and the play is set in a kind of imaginary 'halting site', where departed souls are temporarily resident while awaiting transport to somewhere permanent.

QUEENIE... MONEY FROM AMERICA... JOHNJO...3 plays set in the shadows of the Comeragh Mountains. QUEENIE is a woman who has spent much of her life in mental institutions and has now been released back into the community. She possesses second-sight, frightening psychic powers, which in the past have seen many in the locality label her a witch. MONEY FROM AMERICA tells the tale of two brothers and a farm. Lardy has spent all of his life eking out an existence in the family hill-farm - now brother Jack is back from America to claim his rightful inheritance, which he plans to sell. JOHNJO is the story of a man on the run from rural Ireland, and his struggle to survive amongst the chaos of war-torn England. How long can he stay in the shadows?