Religion
- The play is set during the festival of Lughnasa- a local Pagan harvest
- Jack was the community's source of pride as Ballybeg's 'own leper priest'
- Father Jack has gone 'native' he has come to embrace and accept the traditional rituals for the Ryangan villagers
- Kate classifies it as his 'own destinctive search'
- Jacks rituals link to the Pagan Lughnasa festival
- Father Jack brings back a wealth of experiences with non-Christian ceremonies and rituals including native dances
- Kate thinks that the radio has 'killed all Christian conversation'
- Kate is a strict Roman Catholic- resists progress
- All characters are shocked by Uncle Jacks new beliefs but all ignore it apart from Kate who tries to convert him back
- Father Jack is a symbol of Paganism
- Family is seen as shameful because of Jacks conversion as well as Michael being a love child
- Festival of Lughnasa- reckless and madness associating with he devil
- Gerry doesn't consider any religious tradition- has two families
- Michael is a symbol of hope and progress within the family
- The radio comes to symbolise the threat to paganism to the Irish Catholic values- a central concern of the play
- Homecoming of Jack brings with it alien and challenging behaviour
- Friel- 'Dancing at Lughnasa is about the necessity for paganism not as disrupting Christianity but as disrupting civility.'
- 'Ever since Father Jack came home he [head priest] can hardly look me in the eye'
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