The engaging first act, set in 1963, tells the story of Eileen (Kelly Hickey), a naive girl from an area of Dublin that was at the time countryside. When Eileen becomes pregnant she is shipped off to Liverpool.

It's a sad reminder of a long-gone time leavened with lots of humorous moments too.

The second act of the play is much more disjointed . . . a less cohesive story than its predecessor. It could be reflective of modern society . . . themes of isolation and loneliness are dealt with here . . . but it feels more like the writer is not as certain of this material as he is in the first act.

Perhaps it is simply that he has a better understanding of Dubliners' experiences in the 60s than he does of modern-day Poles and Moldavians living in Ireland.

This act does have a certain poignancy . . .

amplified when we see our own past experience as emigrants reflected back through the modern experience of immigrants living in Ireland. One of the great strengths of this play is the insightful social observation that is present all the way through, right from 1960s north Dublin to the rapidly changing Ballymun of today.

The play's ultimate message is a positive one but it is driven home with a heavy hand, as the cast unite and hold hands to sing a Polish song.