Jimmy Murphy (playwright)
Jimmy Murphy (born 1962) is an Irish playwright living in Dublin. He is a member of Aosdána, and a former member of the Abbey Theatre's advisory council.
Early life and education
Playwright Jimmy Murphy was born to Irish parents in Manchester in 1962. When he was six, his family returned to Dublin, settling in the inner-city district of Islandbridge. Jimmy first went to school in nearby Inchicore, attending the Oblate Fathers’ primary school there. He moved to Ballyfermot, a working-class heartland of suburban Dublin, in his teens, after the breakup of his parents’ marriage. There, he attended secondary school at St. John’s De La Salle College. Having failed the Intermediate Certificate, a now-defunct state examination, Jimmy left school to pursue an apprenticeship in painting and decorating, taking his City and Guilds exams in Bolton Street.
Career
Murphy works for the Abbey Theatre include Brothers of the Brush (1993), A Picture of Paradise (1997) and The Muesli Belt (2000). His other works include Aceldama (1998), The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (2000) and The Castlecomer Jukebox (2004) for Red Kettle. He is a former writer in residence at NUI, Maynooth, a member of the Abbey Theatre’s Advisory Council and a recipient of three Bursaries in literature from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Jimmy Murphy was born in Dublin. His stage plays include Brothers of the Brush (Dublin, The Peacock, Dublin Theatre Festival 1993), which was awarded best new Irish play; A Picture of Paradise (The Peacock, 1997); The Muesli Belt (Dublin, The Abbey Theatre, 2000); Aceldama (1998), and The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (Waterford, Red Kettle Theatre Company, 2000), and The Castlecomer Jukebox (Red Kettle, 2004) His plays for radio include Mandarin Lime (BBC Radio 4, 1995) and Peel’s Brimstone (BBC Radio 4, 1995). His play The Kings of the Kilburn High Road was adapted as the Irish language film Kings, and was selected as Ireland’s entry for best foreign-language film for the Academy Awards by the Irish Film and Television Academy. Murphy's 2001 play The Kings of the Kilburn High Road has been adapted by Tom Collins for his feature film Kings (film).[1]
Murphy is a former writer in residence at NUI Maynooth (2000–01), a member of the Abbey Theatre’s Advisory Council, and He is a member of Aosdána. His awards include The Stewart Parker Award in 1994, and a Bursararies in Literature from The Arts Council of Ireland.
Personal life
Murphy lives in Dublin.
Works
- Brothers of the Brush (Dublin, The Peacock, Dublin Theatre Festival 1993, published London, Oberon Books, 1994), which was awarded best new Irish play;
- A Picture of Paradise (The Peacock, 1996,included in The Dazzling Dark, London, Faber&Faber, 1996);
- Aceldama (Black Box Theatre, Dublin, 1998);
- The Muesli Belt (Dublin, The Abbey Theatre, 2000, published in New plays from the Abbey Theatre 1991-2001, Syracuse University Press, 2003);
- The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (Waterford, Red Kettle Theatre Company, 2000, published with Brothers Of The Brush, London, Oberon Books, 2001); and
- The Castlecomer Jukebox (Waterford, Red Kettle Theatre 2004).
Awards
- The Stewart Parker Award for best first play in 1994, and
- 3 Bursaries in Literature from the Arts Council of Ireland
Notes
- ^ Jimmy Murphy at IMDb