In Plain Sight is a powerful off-site theatre performance that premiered in 2025 at the former Sacred Heart of Mary Convent Roscrea. It is about the history of religious-led incarceration and the power of storytelling to heal deep wounds.
In a delicate and compassionate exploration through story and song, performer/activist Noelle Brown and singer/architect Camille O’Sullivan question the links between inconvenient history and place, focusing on the church-run and state-approved Mother and Baby homes at Roscrea, Castlepollard and Bessborough.
The narrative incorporates reflections on original architecture, excerpts from government policy and correspondence from the archives of the religious orders who ran these buildings for over 70 years. Throughout these curated scenes, the show weaves original songs performed by Camille alongside re-enactments of Noelle’s campaigning for justice which continues as pressure mounts on the State to purchase the remaining 60 acres at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home at Bessborough Co Cork from developers. In Plain Sight is an urgent piece of activist theatre about where we are now. It interrogates how to advocate for accountability from those who perpetrated these human rights abuses for decades and how to honour the victims.
Directed by Veronica Coburn, with sound and original music by Denis Clohessy and lighting by Bill Woodland, In Plain Sight is a unique theatre event that is part town hall talks and part documentary theatre. It shines a light on community and nation, questioning who we are and how we can move forward while still grappling within the shadows of Church and State.
★★★★ “A sharp and graceful new way to tell a difficult story and start vital conversations. This, ultimately, is the achievement of In Plain Sight: not just finding new ways to present information or tell a difficult story, but making space for conversations that still haven’t happened.” – The Irish Times
Performance schedule
Thu 26 – Sat 28 Nov
Thu 26 – Fri 27 Nov, 8pm
Sat 28 Nov, 1pm
Venue
Honan Chapel, Griffith College, Wellington Road, Cork
Tickets
€20 Standard
€18 Concession
Running time
1 hr 15 min, no interval, followed by post-show chat and a cup of tea
Age recommendation
12 accompanied by an adult
Content guidance
Please be advised that this work deals with traumatic national history