Premier of new play about Mayo hunger striker Frank Stagg

A MAJOR new theatrical production about Frank Stagg, the Mayo hunger striker who died in a British prison in 1976 and whose body was hijacked by the Irish government and buried in an unmarked grave, will premier in Belmullet on Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 16.

The inaugural performances of We Have Him Back! will take place at Aras Inis Gluaire. And following the two-night inaugural run, the cast and crew will set off on a nationwide tour.

We Have Him Back! offers a historically accurate and deeply 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 confronting official falsehoods, and a brother whose fierce love and iron resolve would not permit Frank Stagg’s dying wishes to remain unfulfilled.

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

Despite the serious nature of the story, some scenes are punctuated with bursts of humourous banter, and there are moments of poignancy and deep emotion. Dramatic tension builds in the second act as George and his comrades set off on a daunting mission to honor Frank Stagg’s last request.

The Stagg family gave its full support and blessing to the project. George Stagg, Frank’s younger brother, lived through the events portrayed in the play. His personal experiences infuse the script with historical veracity and stark realism.

“This production tells our brother Frank’s story with honesty, dignity and accuracy,” George said. “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.”

Brían MacSuibhne of Belmullet, who wrote the script and directs the play, says he drew inspiration from meeting with members of the Stagg family.

“Being the youngest of 14, family is everything to me. George Stagg made a promise to his brother and he fulfilled that promise. A brother’s love for another brother.

“We Have Him Back! is not a story just about Frank. It’s about family and sibling love.”

The saga of Frank Stagg’s prison internment and death - and the events that followed - remains controversial despite the passage of 50 years.

Frank Stagg was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to commit arson in a criminal trial in which little evidence was produced. He endured four hunger strikes over the course of his imprisonment. His demands remained the same: no forced labour, an end to solitary confinement, access to educational resources, and repatriation to an Irish prison to serve out his sentence.

During his first hunger strike in 1974, Frank was brutally force-fed 167 times. That strike ended when fellow prisoner Michael Gaughan died from injuries sustained during forced-feeding.

After Gaughan’s death, prison authorities banned the future use of force-feeding and conceded to the hunger strikers’ demands. They refused, however, to transfer Stagg to a prison in Northern Ireland because he was born in the 26 counties.

When authorities moved him to yet another British prison, the governor there refused to honour the concessions Frank had won.

Frank Stagg died in 1976 in Wakefield Prison after 62 days on his fourth hunger strike. British authorities agreed to return his body to Ireland for burial, but under orders of the Irish government led by Liam Cosgrave of Fine Gael, Frank’s remains were hijacked in mid-flight and flown to Shannon Airport while family members waited in vain at Dublin Airport for his coffin to arrival. Franks’ body was never returned to the Stagg family for burial.

The following day, Frank’s coffin was flown by military helicopter to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Hollymount for a brief funeral service monitored by armed guards. His remains were then transported by military convoy to Ballina for internment.

The government buried Frank without permission of the family and against his dying wishes in a remote grave in Leigue Cemetery. His last will and testament expressed his desire to be buried beside Michael Gaughan in the republican plot.

The government then built a sentry hut manned by gardaí in close proximity to the grave. When the hut was finally dismantled after 16 months of round-the-clock surveillence, the government ordered four tons of concrete to be dumped upon Frank’s grave to ensure that his coffin could never be removed.

Four months later, on a wet and moonless November night, George Stagg and his comrades embarked upon a mission to ensure that Frank Stagg would finally rest in peace.

Brían MacSuibhne hopes the play will be seen by audiences from across the generations, from older people with living memory of the events portrayed to younger people encountering this history for the first time.

“Fifty years ago, the truth was buried in concrete, censorship and lies. This play is about uncovering that truth, about love between brothers, and a family who refused to let their son be erased from history. It tells the story through the voices of a mother watching her son die, a wife confronting official falsehoods and a brother whose love and resolve would not allow history to be buried in silence.”

With a cast of 12, a crew of eight, We Have Him Back! breathes new life into a seminal episode in modern Irish history. It helps restore the story of Frank Stagg in collective memory by exploring themes of family, state power, historical memory and the enduring impact of the prison struggles of the 1970s.

Tickets (€20, plus booking fee) for the Belmullet performances of We Have Him Back! are available to purchase at (097) 81079 or online at arasinisgluaire.ie.