The Irish Goodbye

O’Neill’s debut is set largely over the Thanksgiving holiday when a big Irish American family comes back together at the dilapidated old family seaside home for the first time in years. This family once had four siblings; now three adult sisters remain, having lost their brother years ago when he was just in his twenties. The family never figured out how to deal with the aftermath of a tragic accident on their brother’s boat that happened two decades ago and resulted in a friend’s death, an expensive lawsuit against their parents, and their brother’s subsequent tragic death. Now the parents are aging and struggling to take care of the old home, and of each other. The newly returned Ryan sisters are eager to reconnect but they each carry a secret—and before the weekend is over, it’s all going to come spilling out. This family drama explores grief, guilt, regret, and aging amidst the tensions of the holiday.