As Ireland struggled for Independence, writer Sean O'Casey watched the needs of the poor become increasingly overlooked as matters of flag and nation took center-stage. O'Casey bristled at the hypocrisy of pompous speeches, and the jingoistic glory that accompanied fervent nationalism. He questioned what was sacred in Ireland: the words of the priests and the words of the patriots. He questioned these pillars not through editorial or ideology, but by crafting real, human characters that represent such ideas in plays that were embraced by his countrymen.