Thirty-three years later, Friel’s work stands the test of time

Brian Friel’s Translations was first produced in Derry in 1980 with a cast that included Stephen Rea, Liam Neeson and Mick Lally.

The play documents the collapse of the Irish language under the strain of colonial British rule

One of the most significant Irish plays of the last century, Brian Friel’s Translations was first produced in the Guildhall, Derry on Sept 23, 1980. It was the first play produced by Field Day, the influential company founded by Friel and actor Stephen Rea. Field Day aimed to advance a fresh artistic reckoning with the postcolonial politics that marked the island on both sides of the border.