doing a bit of irish literature around the start of the twentieth century recently. it was an odd time for irish theatre because the nationalist movement and the resentment towards the english features of irish culture meant a lot of playwrights started to romanticise and exagerate the primitive beauty of traditional irish rural life. the reason i mention all this is because this set of circumstances led to my new favourite stage direction ever:

"Tom goes to the corner and starts gnawing on a turnip"