The Beauty Queen of Leenane Book

Leenane, a small town in Connemara, County Galway.

On a hill sits a cottage. Living within are a mother & daughter. Mag & Maureen. Though living isn't what you would call it. Existing would be a stretch. Theirs is a toxic, co-dependent relationship, built on years of resentment.

One day is much like the other. A dull tone of grey. That it until a neighbour comes calling with an invitation to a send-off for a family heading off to Boston. And so a chain of events is set into play.

"That's Ireland, anyways. There's always someone leaving."
- Maureen

As Maureen falls for Pato Dooley at the knees-up, her relationship with her mother falls further into the mire. One fears she will never leave, the other fears she will be left behind.

MAUREEN: Whore? (Pause.) Do I not wish, now? Do I not wish? (Pause.) Sometimes I dream...

MAG: Of being a...?

MAUREEN: Of anything! (Pause. Quitely.) Of anything. Other than this.

Make no mistake, this is pitch black humour. In fact, I don't know that humour is the right word. There are so many spot on cutting observations that had me laughing out loud. But there were so many more moments where I could simply have cried. At the unfairness of life. At cruel twists of fate. This play cut me to the core. It is utterly devastating. Which made the comedic moments hurt even more.

The complexities of relationships, especially familial ones are turned inside out. How easy it is to hurt one another, to know exactly which buttons to push. You always hurt the one you love.

Martin McDonagh can write. His eye for detail & ability to capture the pathos of people's lives is second to none. And to think he wrote this when he was in his 20s.

His writing is extensive and impressive. Have a look at more information on Collin's blog at


I was lucky enough to see this play performed on stage, and it was like a kick to the guts. It just hurt so damn much.

If you live in Sydney, make sure you see the awesome STC* production currently playing at The Roslyn Packer Theatre. Haunting.



*STC = Sydney Theatre Company

Postscript! I've just realised I forgot to rate it. That's how much it affected me. 5 aching stars ✩✩✩✩✩