New Critical Voices: Shannan Turner on Dublin Gothic

Dublin Gothic by Barbara Bergin. Image, Ros Kavanagh

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Barbara Bergin’s debut play Dublin Gothic promises a performance of ‘the epic of the everyday.’ Straight out of a People in History schoolbook, it presents hidden heroes of Dublin who struggle to adjust and survive various changes from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Over one-hundred years characters face historical crises such as rent wars, the AIDs epidemic, the questionable powers of the Catholic church, emigration and rebellions for freedom. Dublin Gothic offering historical changes viewed from a working class perspective.

Set in O’Rehilly parade, the history of the lives of its tenants over a century see many characters come and go. The sole consistent being the Gatelys, starting with Honor (Sarah Morris) and ending with her great-great grandchildren and parent (Morris again) in the 1980s, with Morris’s characters establishing a generational link. Each generation faces personal, psychological, social and cultural challenges, many emphasising the struggle of women. Challenges they ultimately survive that redefine their stories. Sprinkles of an accurate Dublin history found within the plethora of incidents and characters, many of whom pay homage to real-life figures ranging from James Joyce to Brendan Behan. The plot is vast, with too much briefly told rather than shown, seeing many characters cast back into the shadows which undermines the purpose of highlighting their untold histories.

Clara Fitzgerald, Kenneth Hudson, Joshua McEneaney, Roxanna Nic Liam, Sarah Morris and Emmet Farrell in Dublin Gothic by Barbara Bergin. Image, Ros Kavanagh

Bergin pays respect to theatre’s epic Greek predecessors with an ensemble that shows an ‘Irish epicness’ drawing on ancient Greek Choral performance. A large, impressive cast including Thommas Kane Byrne, Sean Duggan, Daniel Monaghan and Karen Ardriff portray characters ranging between sleazy oppressive men and women who are constant victims of the patriarchy. Sarah Morris shining brightest, her passionate performance promising hope despite the impossible – we may struggle but we can overcome anything, no matter what our history. Even though our ghosts might haunt us, even as they haunt the stage, influencing our future. Morris, the strongest voice, is followed closely by the entire cast who serve collectively as narrator, explaining more often than showing.

Director Catherine Byrne makes a solid attempt to bring justice to the tale. However, the attempt further weakens the message promised by Bergin as Byrne leans too heavily into the grim and dirty aesthetic of ‘old’ Dublin that enhances its ‘school history book’ presentation. Costumes by Madeleine Boyd are staples of their eras, from ragged cloaks to flashy neon shell suits. Costume changes highlighting the transition of time, which is also announced by the cast. Pacing is fast, the show, despite being three hours, including two intervals, feels nothing of the sort. Each act closed with compositions by Giles Thomas, which needed more time to come out of their quiet volume to truly empower themselves. Lighting by Aedín Cosgrove, depending too much on presenting a dark and grimy Dublin, often made characters and actions almost impossible to identify. Compounded by Jamie Vartan’s set, where further distractions arose. Despite the set’s remarkable size and clever display of panels depicting tenement rooms, it was difficult to distinguish where to focus onstage.

Sarah Morris, Erika Roe, Thommas Kane Byrne and Emmet Farrell in Dublin Gothic by Barbara Bergin. Image, Ros Kavanagh

There are other enjoyable mediums for stories besides theatre: podcasts, novellas, audiobooks. All capable of presenting a story like Dublin Gothic to which it might be more suited. As a play, it seems more of a theatrical school text than a myth-busting history ‘from the shadows of a Dublin both strange and familiar.’ Ambitious, brave, daring in its way, Dublin Gothic has a lot to recommend it, even if it falls short of its own ambitions.

Dublin Gothic by Barbara Bergin runs at the Abbey Theatre until January 31^st 2026.

For more information visit The Abbey Theatre

Shannan Turner is an undergraduate student of Classics and Drama Studies at UCD. A hobbyist writer, theatre-goer and artist, select works of Shannan’s can be found online, most prominently in Gothic New Weird literary magazine Labyrinthine.