St Werburgh’s Passion Play

This page is a record of the St Werburgh’s Passion Play, which was performed in St Werburgh’s Church and the surrounding streets on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in 2010. It was also broadcast as part of a documentary by Patrick Burke on RTÉ 1 on Maundy Thursday night at 11.05pm.

The play began in St Werburgh’s Church with a dramatic representation of the Last Supper before moving outside into the garden, which was lit by fires to represent the betrayal and arrest of Christ. On Good Friday, the play continued on the steps of St Werburgh’s with the trial of Christ. Following this, the Way of the Cross moved through the inner-city streets to the gates of Dublin Castle, where the crucifixion was re-enacted. The play ended with the stark reality of the empty cross, while thirty pieces of silver and red rose petals were scattered on the ground.