{"id":9903,"date":"2026-01-20T11:13:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T11:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/?p=9903"},"modified":"2026-04-02T17:20:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:20:42","slug":"we-have-him-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/we-have-him-back\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We Have Him Back’ by Brian Mac Suibhne"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

We have him back!!!\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Landmark Theatre Production to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Frank Stagg<\/p>\n

A major new touring theatre production, We Have Him Back!<\/em><\/strong> written by Br\u00edan MacSuibhne, will tour the island of Ireland after opening in Belmullet in May then from June to December 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Frank Stagg, the Mayo man who died on hunger strike in Wakefield Prison in February 1976 and whose body was subsequently secretly buried in an unmarked grave under concrete by the Irish State.<\/p>\n

Set in Leigue Cemetery, Ballina, Co. Mayo. The play is an historically accurate and deeply human account of the events surrounding Frank Stagg\u2019s 62-day hunger strike, the forced feeding carried out by the British prison authorities, and the extraordinary actions of his family \u2014 particularly his brother George Stagg \u2014 who, 22 months later, fulfilled his promise to recover Frank\u2019s remains and reinter him in the republican plot in Ballina.<\/p>\n

Developed with the full permission, blessing and factual input of the Stagg family, We Have Him Back! <\/em><\/strong>tells the story through the voices of a mother watching her son die, a wife confronting official falsehoods, a sister struggling to understand, and a brother whose love and resolve would not allow history to be buried in silence.<\/p>\n

The play also weaves in documented conversations, world and national news, music, fashion and social life of 1970s Ireland, grounding the personal tragedy in its wider historical moment.<\/p>\n

Author Br\u00edan MacSuibhne, from Belmullet, Co. Mayo, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cFifty years ago, the truth of what happened to Frank Stagg and his family was buried in concrete, censorship and lies. This play is about uncovering that truth, about love between brothers, and about a family who refused to let their son be erased from history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opening with a two-night inaugural run in Belmullet on 15th<\/sup>& 16th<\/sup> May in the \u00c1ras Inis Gluaire\u2014 home town ofthe writer, cast and crew \u2014 the production will then tour every province, bringing this story from Mayo to Dublin, Belfast, Donegal, Cork and beyond.<\/p>\n

With a cast of 12 and a crew of 8, the tour will present approximately one to two performances per month, accompanied by post-show discussions and community engagement events in each location. A spokesperson for the Stagg family said: \u201cThis production tells a story of my Brother Frank\u2019s story with honesty, dignity and accuracy. It honours not only his sacrifice, but the pain, courage and determination of our family in the face of what was done to him after his death.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production is conceived as a major heritage and commemorative project, exploring themes of family, human rights, state power, historical memory, and the enduring impact of the prison struggle of the 1970s. It is intended for audiences across generations, from those with living memory of the period to younger adults encountering this history for the first time. Some scenes are very graphic and are Not suitable for children<\/p>\n

We Have Him Back!<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 The Frank Stagg 50th Anniversary Island Tour 2026<\/p>\n

Opening: Belmullet, Co. Mayo \u2013 May 2026<\/p>\n

Touring: June 2026 \u2013 December 2026 (The island of Ireland)<\/p>\n

A full digital press pack, including production images, historical background, and interview availability, will be released in early 2026.<\/p>\n

For further information, interview requests, or to be added to the tour mailing list, please contact:<\/p>\n

brianmacsuibhne@gmail.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have him back!!!\u00a0 Landmark Theatre Production to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Frank Stagg A major new touring theatre production, We Have Him Back! written by Br\u00edan MacSuibhne, will tour the island of Ireland after opening in Belmullet in May then from June to December 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary …<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-01 06:06:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9903"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10085,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9903\/revisions\/10085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arasinisgluaire.ie\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}