Mike Finn (Irish playwright)

Mike Finn
Born
Ireland
EducationIADT
OccupationsPlaywright & Television Writer
Years active1990-Present
Known forThe Church, Pigtown, Killinascully
Awards3x Irish Film & Television Awards Nominee, Stewart Parker Award Winner

Mike Finn is an Irish playwright and filmmaker based in Limerick, Ireland. He graduated from the National Film School (IADT) with a Masters in scriptwriting and was also made an honorary fellow of the University of Iowa.[1] In 2016, he became the first theatre artist to be in residence in The Belltable.[2] Several of his plays cover local Limerick history.[3]

Career

Finn began his professional playwriting career in the early 1990s as a founding member of the Island Theatre Company,[4] where he wrote several plays. His breakthrough came with The Crunch in 1992 (co-written) and his first major solo play, Pigtown, which premiered at Belltable in 1999. Additionally, this play won him the Stewart Parker Award[5][6][7] Other works by Finn include The Quiet Moment, The Crunch and Shock & Awe, Stories, Langered and One, The Big Question, The Affair on the Square, We Are What We Witness, The Revenger's Tragedy, Porkville, Wreckquiem[8] [9] and Life in 2 Syllables.[10]

In 2017, he wrote a historical play about the Irish Soviets, released in Belltable[11] and Bread not Profit in 2019, performed in Cleeves factory.[12] In 2025, Finn's play The Rising of the Women was released in collaboration with the GAFF.[13] Finn has also written wrote scripts for pantomimes, including Aladdin and his Magic Lamp.[14]

He started writing for television in 2006, working alongside Pat Shortt to co-write the television series Killinaskully.[15]

Awards

Playwright

  • The Crunch (1992)
  • Charlie Chaplin's Mother Was An Irish Man (1995)
  • Pigtown (1999)
  • The Quiet Moment (2002)
  • Shock & Awe (2003)
  • Ellis Island (2003)
  • One (2006)
  • The Revenger's Tragedy (2009)
  • The Unlucky Cabin Boy (2015)
  • Bread Not Profits (2019)
  • Waiting for Poirot (2021)
  • Blue Train (2024)
  • Wreckquiem (2025)[19]

Short plays

  • Porkville (2010)
  • Life in 2 Syllables (2012)
  • The Big Question (2014)
  • The Affair on the Square (2016)
  • Stories (2017)
  • We Are What We Witness (2018)
  • Langered (2019)

Filmography

Screenwriter

  • I'm From Limerick (2002)[20]
  • Killinascully (2005–2008)
  • Inside the Crystal Ball (2009)
  • Mattie (2009–2011)

Actor

  • Star Portal as Otto (1997)
  • My Brother's War as Special Security Man (1997)
  • The Haunting of Hell House as Lt Ryan (1999)
  • Cowboys & Angels as Raid Garda 2 (2003)
  • Planetfall as Cast of Bastard and Commando (2005)
  • Killinaskully as Sherlock Holmes, Raider 1, Mossie (2004–2008)
  • Inside the Crystal Ball as Off Screen Reporter (2009)
  • Mattie as Chicken 2 (2010)
  • The Apparel as Suit Man (2016)
  • Blue Lights as Charles (2021)
  • Hidden Assets as Bar Owner (2021)

Additional filmography

References

  1. ↑ Coffey, Edel (2025-11-19). "Writer's Block: Playwright, Screenwriter And Actor Mike Finn". The Gloss Magazine. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. ↑ Rushe, Rose (2016-06-30). "Finn is first ever theatre artist in residence for Belltable". Limerick Post. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  3. ↑ "Mike Finn | The International Writing Program - Graduate College | The University of Iowa". iwp.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-12. He is noted for producing locally popular plays on Limerick history
  4. 1 2 3 "SEARCH FOR A PLAY – PlayographyIreland". Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  5. ↑ Bodin, Richard (2025-05-20). "A Limerick Life in Three Acts: Interview with Mike Finn". The Hidden Track. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  6. ↑ Fitzgerald, Eric (2022-11-05). "College Players return with Finn's Pigtown". Limerick Post. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  7. ↑ "From Frank McCourt to Mike Finn - works that shaped Limerick's identity". Limerick Live. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  8. ↑ "Wreckquiem Press Launch - Lime Tree Theatre". 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  9. ↑ McCormack, Chris. "Wreckquiem review: Pat Shortt is well capable of an audience-pleasing expletive in an adroit performance". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  10. ↑ "Mike Finn, Artist in Residence, January – December 2017 – BELLTABLE:CONNECT". Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  11. ↑ Lynch, Richard. "Belltable team with Limerick playwright Mike Finn". www.ilovelimerick.ie. Archived from the original on 2026-02-17. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  12. ↑ "Limerick playwright Mike Finn returns this summer with a new site-responsive production Waiting For Poirot". Limerick Post. 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  13. ↑ Fitzgerald, Eric (2025-05-09). "Promenade performances of Mike Finn's The Rising of The Women". Limerick Post. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  14. ↑ "Watch: Host of events planned for city venues over coming months". Limerick's Live 95. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  15. ↑ "My Cultural Life: Mike Finn, playwright". Irish Independent. 2019-04-15. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. For television, he has co-written extensively with Pat Shortt, including Killinaskully
  16. ↑ Lynch, Richard. "Bread Not Profits wins Audience Choice from Irish Times Theatre Awards". www.ilovelimerick.ie. Archived from the original on 2026-01-19. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  17. ↑ "Mike Finn". www.doollee.com. Archived from the original on 2026-04-15. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  18. ↑ "Killinaskully- Series 4 | The Irish Film & Television Network". iftn.ie. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  19. ↑ Bodin, Richard (2025-05-20). "A Limerick Life in Three Acts: Interview with Mike Finn". The Hidden Track. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
  20. ↑ "Im from Limerick". Irish Independent. 2002-11-29. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
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