The Butcher Boy is a very great novel indeed and a very important Irish novel. The ambiguity of that is, he's writing a book about an appalling situation and he does it in a hilarious way.

Filmography. Rea is an Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Rea has long been associated with some of the most important writers in Ireland.

Stephen Rea pronounced /ˈɹeɪ/ ray (born 31 October 1946) is a film and stage actor who was born in Belfast Northern Ireland. Rea has appeared in high profile films such as V for Vendetta Michael Collins Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto.