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Our Brothers in Cloth

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 4 Published: 4 Aug 2025 Assembly George Square Studios Show Dates: 31 Jul 2025-25 Aug 2025

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Ferns Report, an official Irish government inquiry into allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford. Our Brothers in Cloth, by Ronan Colfer at Assembly Rooms, George Square, reflects on the impact the actions of some priests had on individuals, families and communities in an emotionally challenging drama, sensitively directed by Ryan McVeigh.

It’s about the cost of complicity and the fight to reclaim truth in the face of institutional silence

The play is rooted in harsh reality, rigorous research and much soul-searching. Colfer was deeply affected by clerical child sexual abuse that resulted in the tragic suicide of a close family member and left others traumatised. Rather than tell the story of the victim, however, the play addresses the intergenerational impact of abuse on a family and community in sleepy rural Ireland. Hence, we are given a wide perspective that embraces the personal torment of coming to terms with Chris’s suicide, the revelations about the former parish priest, the cover-ups, and most dramatically, the silence and level of denial within the community and the divisions caused within families.

Jake Douglas gives a powerfully impassioned performance as Alan, who carries the burden of knowing what happened to his brother Chris after he receives testimony from an eyewitness friend, Mark Doyle. Michael Lavin gravely delivers the information and shows how difficult it is to open up such a can of worms. Then, armed with the story, Alan’s work really begins. He has to convince the indoctrinated and devout to believe him – parishioners whose families have for centuries looked up to the Church and its priests, and against whom they will have nothing said – most particularly his mother, Martina. Rosalind Stockwell fills her with fervour and blind allegiance in support of the accused priest and the Church, while bitterly turning on her son.

Meanwhile, Kevin Glyn hovers around in an understated performance as the disgraced cleric's successor, Fr O’Donovan, reminding us of the ever-present involvement of the clergy in people’s lives. A subplot involving the relationship between Alan and his girlfriend, Siobhan, allows Oli Fyne to demonstrate the anguish caused by having to decide whose side she is going to take, while Gráinne Kelly adds her two penn’orth as a parishioner and friend of the family.

Colfer says: “This play was born from the stories passed between generations – what was said and what was kept silent. It’s about the cost of complicity and the fight to reclaim truth in the face of institutional silence.”

He has transformed that material into a remarkable social commentary and a gripping piece of theatre.

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The Blurb:

In the sleepy Irish village of Bunderr, silence speaks volumes. Where one family's grief without answers becomes a young man's pursuit for the truth, what he uncovers threatens to unravel the very fabric of this tight-knit community. Inspired by true events, Poke The Bear Productions presents the premiere of Ronan Colfer's daring new play, Our Brothers in Cloth.