Dancing at Lughnasa is a memory play that examines the experience of memory throughout. How is memory used as a framework in the play? What does this play tell us about the nature of memory?

Dancing at Lughnasa establishes a number of strong juxtapositions between Catholicism and paganism. How are these belief systems characterized in the play? What are some of the similarities and differences Friel illustrates?

What role does music play in Dancing at Lughnasa? How do the song lyrics comment upon (and—in some cases—interact with) the events of the play?