Frank McGuinness facts for kids

Professor Frank McGuinness (born in 1953) is a famous Irish writer. He writes plays, poems, and novels. He is also known for changing classic stories into new plays. He has adapted works by famous writers like Sophocles, Henrik Ibsen, and Jean Racine. From 2007 to 2018, he was a Professor of Creative Writing at University College Dublin (UCD).

Frank McGuinness's Life Story

Frank McGuinness was born in Buncrana, a town in County Donegal, Ireland. He went to school in his hometown and later studied English at University College Dublin.

He became well-known with his play The Factory Girls. But his play about World War I, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, made him truly famous. This play was shown in Dublin and around the world. It won many awards, including the Award for Most Promising Playwright.

McGuinness has also written new versions of old plays by writers like Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov. He even wrote the movie script for Dancing at Lughnasa, which was based on a play by Brian Friel.

His first book of poems, Booterstown, came out in 1994. Some of his poems have even been sung by the famous singer Marianne Faithfull. Before becoming a professor, McGuinness taught at different universities.

His Original Plays

Frank McGuinness once said he started writing by making song lyrics. He wanted to write something "substantial," so he decided to write a play.

Early Works

His first short play, The Glass God, was shown in Dublin in 1982. Later that year, his first full-length play, The Factory Girls, was also performed. This play was about women working in a factory in Donegal who were worried about losing their jobs. McGuinness said he was inspired by the women in his own family.

His second play, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching towards the Somme, came out in 1985. It tells the story of Protestant soldiers during the First World War. McGuinness said he was inspired by "a great story."

Exploring Different Themes

The play Innocence was about the painter Caravaggio. It was inspired by one of Caravaggio's paintings that showed a sheep looking shocked at human actions. McGuinness liked the idea of the "innocent sheep."

Carthaginians, first shown in 1989, was about the Bloody Sunday events in Northern Ireland. In 1972, British soldiers shot unarmed people during a march, and 14 people died. McGuinness described it as his play about the "Catholic imagination." He also said that famous writers like Shakespeare and Ibsen influenced his plays.

Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, from 1992, is a play about the 1986 Lebanon hostage crisis. It's a mix of sad and funny moments, showing how three hostages from different backgrounds learn to rely on each other. They find shared human feelings to help them get through their difficult time.

Later Plays

The play Dolly West's Kitchen (1999) is set during World War II in Buncrana. McGuinness explained that the main idea of the play was about a big sadness in his life: his mother's death. He said that when a mother dies, "the children have to grow up."

Gates of Gold (2002) was written to celebrate The Gate Theatre in Dublin. The play is about the theatre's founders, Micheál Mac Liammóir and Hilton Edwards, who were partners in life and work. McGuinness wanted to celebrate their love and partnership.

There Came a Gipsy Riding (2007) explores how people deal with the biggest loss, like losing a child. It shows that you don't fully recover, but you learn to live with the sadness.

The Hanging Gardens (2007) is about Alzheimer's disease. It shows how this disease affects both the people who have it and their families. McGuinness hoped the audience would laugh and be surprised by the play.

Adapting Classic Stories

Frank McGuinness is also very well known for changing classic stories into new plays. He has adapted works by famous writers like Sophocles, Jean Racine, Henrik Ibsen, and Federico García Lorca. Critics have noted his skill in bringing out the strong feelings from old Greek plays. His adaptations are often praised for making the original stories feel new and alive.

His Poetry

Frank McGuinness actually started his writing journey as a poet. When he was a university student, he sent some poems to a newspaper. The editor wrote back, saying he would publish them and that McGuinness was a writer. This encouraged him greatly.

His poetry books include Booterstown (1994), The Stone Jug (2003), and Dulse (2008). His poems often use clear lines that stay in your mind. They explore emotions, relationships, and the meaning of everyday events. Sometimes, his poems are like quick pictures, inspired by his own life. Other times, he writes them to help him understand the characters in his plays better.

His Novels

Frank McGuinness's first novel, Arimathea, was published in 2013. It tells a story of hope and rescue. The book is set in a village in Donegal in 1950. It shows what happens when an Italian painter arrives. The story is told from the viewpoints of different characters. McGuinness wrote this book while researching for his play The Hanging Gardens. He wanted to understand what it would be like to write a novel if he had Alzheimer's disease.

His second novel, The Woodcutter and His Family, came out in 2017. This book is about the last days of the famous writer James Joyce in Zurich. The story is told through four parts, each from the point of view of James, his partner Nora, and their children, Lucia and Giorgio.

Short Stories

McGuinness has also written several short stories. His first collection of short stories, also called Paprika, was published in 2018. These stories are often described as funny and surprising. They often show characters who are not very confident or are a bit confused, finding themselves in tricky situations.

Opera Work

Frank McGuinness wrote the words for his first opera, Thebans, which was performed in London in 2014. This opera is a new version of three ancient Greek plays by Sophocles. He worked with the composer Julian Anderson to create it. It was a big challenge to turn such long stories into a 100-minute opera. McGuinness wanted to make the old stories easy for today's audience to understand.

Film and TV Work

McGuinness has written several movie scripts. He adapted Brian Friel's play Dancing at Lughnasa into a film script in 1998. He also wrote the original script for "Talk of Angels," a movie based on a novel by Kate O'Brien (novelist).

He has also written for television. His TV films include Scout (1987), which was directed by Danny Boyle. This film was about a talent scout for a football team in Northern Ireland. Another TV film was A Song for Jenny (2015), based on a book about the London terrorist bombings in 2005. McGuinness has also written scripts for TV documentaries, such as The Messiah XXI (2000) and Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde (2004).

Main Ideas in His Work

Two main things you often see in Frank McGuinness's plays are stories about historical events and characters who are in relationships.

McGuinness believes that a writer's job is "to do something that no one has done before, to discover." He also said that people who are curious and like to question things will always feel a bit uneasy about what is commonly said about a topic.

Awards and Recognitions

Frank McGuinness has received many awards for his writing. Here are some of them:

• 1985 London Evening Standard "Award for Most Promising Playwright" for Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme
• 1985 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature for Observe the Sons …
• 1987 Ewart-Biggs Peace Prize for Observe the Sons …
• 1992 New York Drama Critics Circle for Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
• 1992 Writers' Guild Award for Best Play for Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
• 1996 Tony Award for Best Revival for A Doll's House
• 1997 French Order of Arts and Letters
• 2014 Irish PEN Award
• 2019 Tip O'Neill Irish Diaspora Award
• 2019 UCD Ulysses Medal

List of His Works

Plays

• The Glass God (1982)
• The Factory Girls (1982)
• Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (1985)
• Innocence (1986)
• Carthaginians (1988)
• Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (1992)
• Dolly West's Kitchen (1999)
• Gates of Gold (2002)
• There Came a Gypsy Riding (2007)
• The Hanging Gardens (2013)
• The Visiting Hour (2021)

Adaptations of Other Works

• Dracula, from the novel by Bram Stoker (1986)
• Yerma by Federico García Lorca (1987)
• Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen (1987)
• A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen (1996)
• Electra by Sophocles (1997)
• Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (1990)
• Hecuba by Euripides (2004)
• Oedipus by Sophocles (2008)
• Tartuffe, by Molière (2023)

Screenplays (Movie and TV Scripts)

• Scout (BBC2, 1987)
• Dancing at Lughnasa, adapted from a play by Brian Friel (1998)
• Talk of Angels, adapted from the novel Mary Lavelle by Kate O'Brien (novelist) (1998)
• A Short Stay in Switzerland (BBC TV, 2009)
• A Song for Jenny (BBC TV, 2015)

Poetry Books

• Booterstown (1994)
• The Sea with no Ships (1999)
• The Stone Jug (2003)
• Dulse (2007)
• In a Town of Five Thousand People (2012)

Opera

• Thebans—Libretto by Frank McGuinness, based on Sophocles (2014)

Fiction (Novels and Short Stories)

• Arimathea (2013)
• The Woodcutter & his Family (2017)
• Paprika: Stories (2018)