Separated into two trilogies, McDonagh's first six plays are located in and around County Galway, where he spent his holidays as a child. The first is set in Leenane, a small village on the west coast of Ireland, and consists of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" (1996), "A Skull in Connemara" (1997) and "The Lonesome West" (1997). His second trilogy is set across the Aran Islands, off the coast of County Galway, and consists of "The Cripple of Inishmaan" (1996), "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" (2001) and "The Banshees of Inisheer". The third play was never published, as McDonagh insisted it "isn't any good", though he has expressed a desire to return to it when he is older.