Play about burial of Mayo hunger striker set for Swift Cultural Centre

A theatrical production about Frank Stagg, the Mayo hunger striker who died in a British prison in 1976, is coming to Trim this month. We Have Him Back! will be performed at Swift Cultural Centre on Saturday June 13 as part of a nationwide tour.

The two-act play offers a moving account of the events surrounding the three funerals of Frank Stagg. It tells the story of a mother watching her son die on hunger strike, a grieving wife and a brother whose fierce love and iron resolve would not permit Frank Stagg’s dying wish to remain unfulfilled.

Most of the action takes place in a graveyard, with occasional cutaway scenes to a hunger striker’s cell and the kitchen of Frank Stagg’s mother. The characters and events are real, and the dialogue is grounded in historical truth.

Westmeath plays a part in the story as the constituency that elected the then Justice Minister, Patrick ‘Concrete’ Cooney.

The Stagg family gave their full support and blessing to the theatrical project. George, Frank’s younger brother, said: “This production tells our brother Frank’s story with honesty, dignity and accuracy. It honours not only his sacrifice, but the pain, courage and determination of our family in the face of Frank’s treatment even after his death.”

With a cast of 12 and a crew of eight, We Have Him Back! breathes new life into an episode in 1970s Irish history. It restores the story of Frank Stagg in collective memory while exploring themes of family, state power and historical memory.