Sarah Casey, determined to be made an honest woman, convinces reluctant local Tinker, Michael Byrne, to marry her. After harassing the local priest into officiating their wedding for half the price, Sarah’s dreams might be about to come true.
That is until Michael’s scornful Mother intervenes and steals the priest’s money. Refusing to wed the couple until his money is returned, the hopeless priest unleashes the fury of the Tinkers.
J.M. Synge’s ‘The Tinker’s Wedding’ (1909) is a classic two-act play of comedic genius that pokes fun at Irish country folk. An incredibly controversial play when it was first staged due to its treatment of the priest, ‘The Tinker’s Wedding’ is an excellent ode to failed and farcical matrimony and is perfect for anyone who enjoys weddings-gone-wrong comedies like ‘Bridesmaids’ or the British classic ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’.
Edmund John Millington Synge (1871 – 1909) was an Irish poet, playwright, and defining figure of the Irish Literary Revival. Born in County Dublin to upper-middle-class Protestants, Synge suffered from Hodgkin’s disease which led to his home-schooling. Soon after graduating from Trinity College Dublin, Synge became a renowned poet and playwright, but his success was short-lived as he passed away from cancer at 37.
He is best remembered for his play ‘The Playboy of the Western World’, an incredibly controversial work at the time of its publication and performance. Regarded by Yeats as ‘the greatest dramatic genius of Ireland’, Synge has held a lasting legacy, being a key influence for acclaimed Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and the subject of Joseph O’Connor’s novel ‘Ghost Light’ (2010).
