By Grace Hatchell
Republic of Silence arrives at Theatre Peckham, uncovering the hidden truths of Sean Ross Abbey. Based on real stories, this powerful production explores silence, injustice, and the voices history tried to bury.
I’ll be honest with you—I don’t always know what I’m carrying when I set off on my rounds.
Some envelopes feel light, all sparkle and excitement. Opening nights, jazz hands, a bit of glitter tucked in the corners. Easy deliveries, those.
But this one… this one felt different the moment it landed in my satchel.
“Republic of Silence.”
Even the name sits heavy, doesn’t it?
This particular delivery comes from PÓG Productions, and it’s not just a story—it’s pulled straight from truth. The kind of truth that doesn’t shout, but whispers. And sometimes, those are the ones that echo the loudest.
We’re taken to Sean Ross Abbey in Tipperary. A place that, on the surface, might seem quiet… peaceful even. But beneath that? Something buried. Quite literally.
A gardener named Colm—gentle, steady, the sort who probably keeps to himself—stumbles across a series of unmarked graves. And just like that, the past doesn’t stay in the past anymore. It rises. It asks questions. It demands to be seen.
And then we’re pulled back further, to 1965.
Two young pregnant girls. Scared. Isolated. Listening to whispers that shouldn’t exist—stolen babies, missing girls, violence tucked neatly behind the walls of a so-called “home.”
When hardened Niamh witnesses the secrets of the
‘home’, the girls rage against the catholic institution that cage them.
And once you’ve seen it… well, you can’t just go back to silence, can you?
That’s really what this piece is asking. Not politely either.
Who decides what gets remembered… and what gets buried?
Because let’s be honest—history isn’t always written by the truth. Sometimes it’s written by whoever had the loudest voice… or the most power.
And this feels like one of those stories that slipped through the cracks. Or worse—was pushed there.
Now it’s stepping back into the light.
It’s playing at Theatre Peckham’s Main Space on the 7th and 8th of May, both evenings at 7:30.
And I’ll tell you this much—it doesn’t sound like an easy watch. Not the kind where you sit back, have a little clap, and nip out for a drink after without thinking twice.
No… this feels like the sort of theatre that sits with you. Walks home with you. Maybe even keeps you up a bit longer than you planned.
The kind that reminds you that theatre isn’t just about entertainment.
Sometimes, it’s about truth.
And sometimes… it’s about finally breaking a silence that’s gone on far too long.
Anyway… I’ll leave this one with you. Carefully.
Republic of Silence – Theatre Peckham
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