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Tag Archives: residential institutions

The Evidence I Shall Give at the Abbey

One day at the dawn of the 1960s, a remarkable script landed on the desk of the director of the Abbey Theatre, Ernest Blythe. Blythe was in his 70s. He had retired from politics almost 30 years earlier, and had been managing director of the Abbey for 20. His was a staid directorship, and the… read more +

Abuse, institutions, and plays: Michael Kennedy’s ‘Skinners’

“I was a convicted criminal at the age of two.” Michael Kennedy, a costumier by trade, has a story to tell. “I was found wandering in Killenaule, Tipperary.” Soft-spoken and gentle mannered, Kennedy spent his working life backstage at the best theatres and opera houses. But that’s not the story. “My mother had died, and… read more +