This course aims to explore the relationship between theatre and national identity in Ireland from the early twentieth century to the present day, tracing the history and development of Irish theatre where tradition and experiment never cease to contradict, not necessarily counteract, each other. We will first study works by canonic Irish playwrights, examining the different versions of “Ireland” offered/commissioned by the Abbey and the Gate theatres, and considering the places of contemporary theatre groups, such as Field Day, Charabanc, Glasshouse and Druid in modern Irish culture.