Lightning struck just once for John Murphy, author of The Country Boy, a staple of the Abbey Theatre repertoire in the 1960s, after which it was virtually commandeered by the amateur companies. He emigrated from Mayo to America in 1950, a young man of 19, and his play is suffused with the pain of severed roots. Following its Irish success, he started to write a sequel, but never finished it. He remained a one-play author, having possibly written the one work - usually autobiographical - said to be in each of us.
The Druid Company and director Garry Hynes have a reputation for infusing new life into old plays. This nostalgic work is certainly ripe for a clear-eyed revival; Their production opens in Galway's Town Hall Theatre on Tuesday.