Brian Patrick Friel (1929-2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. Considered one of the greatest English-language dramatists, the English-speaking world hailed him as an 'Irish Chekhov' and 'the universally accented voice of Ireland'. His plays have been compared favourably to those of contemporaries such as Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams.