The Cave

An unforgettable black comedy in the vein of Pinter and Beckett, by one of Ireland's most beloved writers (author of Night Boat to Tangier and City of Bohane).



We were the last two bucks of the McRaes left standin' . . . And the McRae name had gone back for a long time around these hills . . . Oh, for decades and centuries unending, the rain that fell on these hills fell only to spite the McRaes . . .





High in the mountains of south County Sligo, the McRae brothers are sleeping rough. Stuck in a dead zone and running out of road, Archie and Bopper have only each other to rely on as they try to restart their van, their lives and their Wi-Fi connection. And then there's the local police sergeant who is becoming more and more interested in their lives . . .



The Cave was first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in June 2025.



Kevin Barry is the author of the novels Beatlebone, City of Bohane and Night Boat to Tangier and the story collections Dark Lies the Island, There Are Little Kingdoms and That Old Country Music. His latest novel The Heart in Winter was published in June 2024. His awards include the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize, as well as being longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019. His stories and essays appear in the New Yorker, Granta and elsewhere. He also works as a playwright and screenwriter, and lives in County Sligo, Ireland.