The Better Road

By Musette Morell

A road may promise freedom, but a small home promises something harder to secure: safety. In rural south-eastern Ireland, itinerant couple Maureen and Sean O'Connor search for work, shelter and a place they can call their own. Their hopes are measured against poverty and homelessness, while the recurring contrast between the open road and the coveted "little houseen" gives this social drama its defining tension. Employment at a brick factory draws Sean into conflict with its owner, Michael Maloney, over rents, wages and the dependence of workers on those who control both livelihood and housing. Their dispute reaches beyond personal grievance to questions of political representation, communal responsibility and the obligations attached to wealth and power. Forceful speeches bring these competing ideas into direct confrontation, while romantic history and present insecurity add emotional pressure without displacing the drama's social concerns. Written for radio, the play moves through country roads, a village bridge, a cottage and the working world of the factory, using detailed sound and music cues to shape each change of place. Irish dialect and idiom give the compact cast a distinctive voice, and the blend of rural melodrama, romantic conflict and tragedy keeps private longing closely bound to public argument. Freedom and security are never treated as simple opposites: each carries a cost for people whose choices are constrained by class, housing and work. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9378417574
• ISBN13: 9789378417573
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"