This collection is a showcase of the wit and passion that is the mark of the author's drama. Included are "The Public Death of Shakespeare", O'Casey's musings on the state of the theatre, "Coward Codology", on the work of Noel Coward, and "Bonfire Under a Black Sun", O'Casey's bitter reaction against the critics of "holy Ireland" who lambasted "The Bishop's Bonfire", one of his last plays, for its anti-clerical stance. Here too are his reactions to the failures and futures of the arts, to films, and to the subjects and people dearest to him - Dublin, Shaw, laughter and flags. The book also includes four short stories.