Mayo playwright’s powerful new play will take place at Castlebar venue

Mick Donnellan’s powerful new play The Crucified Silence recently made its highly anticipated debut at the Athlone Theatre Festival, marking a significant moment for both the playwright and contemporary Irish theatre. Acclaimed playwright Mick Donnellan, who is from Ballinrobe, will stage his latest work in the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, on Friday, May 29, at 8 p.m.

The Crucified Silence, written and performed by Mick Donnellan, is a darkly comic and deeply human exploration of one man’s unravelling in the west of Ireland. Set in Ballinrobe, the play follows Joe, a small-town local guard with An Garda Síochána, who has finally crossed a line he cannot easily step back from after a volatile altercation with his superintendent. Joe’s voice is rich with storytelling, deflection, and an undercurrent of vulnerability that slowly rises to the surface. Through moments that are both comedic and dark, the play explores themes of loneliness, alcoholism, loss, heartbreak, and parenthood, hinting at a life once filled with connection and meaning but derailed by tragedy.

Tickets for the Castlebar performance at the Linenhall are available here.