Drama and tradition combined in Tuam commemoration

DRAMA and traditional commemoration combined to make Tuam’s remembrance of the 1916 Rising unique.
Tom Murphy’s documentary drama The Patriot Game was staged to packed houses in the Mall Theatre on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights.
This was the first time the play was staged in Murphy’s home town, and the production by Caveman Productions in association with the Old Tuam Society (OTS) did it justice.
The Patriot Game was commissioned by BBC Television in 1965, to be broadcast as part of the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Due to excessive production costs, it was never made and the play remained unseen until 1991, the 75th anniversary of the Rising.
The outdoor event was held on Sunday with a parade from the Miller’s Cottage at Shop Street, at present under restoration, to the memorial at Bishop Street.
The parade was led by a Defence Forces colour party, followed by a piper, members of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA), Tuam Fire Brigade and the ladies of Tuam Active Retirement Association (TARA) in Cumann na mBan costumes.