Irish Examiner view: Survivors at centre of our national day

It is deeply significant that we have chosen to reflect on all aspects of our history and the experiences of our most-silenced citizens on St Patrick's day

Mary Coughlan in the Abbey Theatre projectHome: Part Oneon mother and baby homes. Picture: Mark Stedman

We marked St Patrick’s Day yesterday in the most counterintuitive of ways. And ‘marked’ is probably a better word than celebrate because all of those age-old traditions — parading on the streets, gathering in great numbers, drowning the shamrock — were off limits under level 5 coronavirus restrictions. The pubs remained shut and, to cap it all, the sun even shone.

But perhaps the most radical departure from previous years was what took place on the Abbey stage last night when 46 women voiced the testimonies of survivors of mother and baby homes as part of Home: Part One.