Abstract
The article engages with the award-winning black comedy Cyprus Avenue by Northern Irish playwright David Ireland in the context of Northern Irish drama, the aesthetics of the grotesque, and the current political situation in the UK and beyond. While it has been pointed out by numerous commentators that the greatest danger of writing about the conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath is that of the cliché, the present essay argues that rather than recycling stock characters and scenarios, Cyprus Avenue highlights the persistence of toxic views in contemporary reality, and does so in an extremely deft and disturbing manner.
Furthermore, viewing Cyprus Avenue through the prism of the grotesque may help to assess its effects on the audience. The article goes on to discuss the relevance of Cyprus Avenue to the present moment in detail, as highlighted by reviewers at the time of its premiere in 2016, and its uncanny underscoring during the Brexit negotiations.
Finally, it suggests that the way in which Ireland's provocative drama blurs the borderline between nationalism and mental illness is of relevance far beyond the local context of Northern Ireland.