One of the most important dramatists of his generation, Tom Murphy has had a major impact on Irish theatre in a career spanning three decades.He has been a seminal influence on a generation of Irish theatre makers and his distinctive voice remains a major force in the contemporary repertory.In a special event for the 2006 conference, Tom Murphy talks about his life and work. 

 Tom Murphy WriterTom Murphy was born in Tuam, County Galway. He lives in Dublin. He has received numerous theatre awards and holds honorary degrees from Trinity College, Dublin and the NUI (Galway). A six-play season celebrating his work – ‘Tom Murphy at the Abbey’ – was presented by the Abbey Theatre in 2001. Plays include On the Outside (with Noel O’Donoghue), A Whistle in the Dark, A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant, The Orphans, Famine, The Morning After Optimism, The White House, On the Inside, The Sanctuary Lamp, The J Arthur Maginnis Story, Epitaph Under Ether (a compilation from the works of J.M. Synge), The Blue Macushla, The Informer (from the novel by Liam O’Flaherty), Conversations on a Homecoming, The Gigli Concert, Bailegangaire, A Thief of a Christmas, Too Late For Logic, The Patriot Game, She Stoops to Folly (from The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith), The Wake, The House, The Drunkard, The Cherry Orchard (a version) and Cuppa Coffee and a novel The Seduction of Morality. His most recent play The Alice Trilogy was produced by the Royal Court Theatre in 2005.