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Roses to remember Sarah

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The participants of Living Scenes at St Joseph’s Secondary School Tulla will stage their production of Bring Me Roses While I Can Smell Them, a play written and directed by the late Sarah Lennon from Quin.
Sarah passed away recently aged 43 after losing her battle with cancer and following her death the Living Scenes group decided to run their production over two nights, with all proceeds going to Milford Hospice. 
Sarah’s association with drama goes back to the mid-1980s, when she was a member of Icarus Drama Group in Shannon. She was responsible for re-establishing the Quin Players 10 years ago, who every year have put on a production, among them Jane Eyre and An Inspector Calls.
Over the last five years Sarah attended annual Drama League of Ireland courses ranging from script writing, direction, stage management and lighting and wrote Bring Me Roses for the Living Scenes Drama module at St Joseph’s Secondary School.
Sarah initially joined the NUIG-run project after being approached by Siobhán O’Sullivan, who is the co-ordinator of Living Scenes at the school.
“I knew Sarah for many years, as we were both from Quin. She had the experience, patience and skills required to manage 24 pupils and 10 adults for a two-hour period every week in the local courthouse, along with my help and Mary MacNamara, the school’s SNA. Sarah had previously been involved in many local projects in Quin such as the refurbishment of the local hall and the revival of the youth club and was founder of the Quin Drama Group, now in its 10th year. She was a woman with stamina and determination,” Siobhán commented.
She explained that Sarah’s love of drama stemmed from her secondary school days in Shannon Comprehensive, where she became a member of Icarus Drama Group.   
“This year’s transition year theme was leadership and Sarah displayed this on many occasions. She joined the group in January and settled quickly into her task by using her greatest skill, her ability to listen. The adults and pupils shared stories and songs that represented this theme to them and she sat amongst them pen in hand, scribbling notes in a pad. Within weeks, a play was scripted and delivered,” Siobhán explained.
Siobhán admitted she herself was hesitant at first as it was a huge script, especially for the adults to contend with. “But Sarah said, ‘They’ll be grand’. And she was right.
“Sarah’s health at this point was deteriorating but nothing would deter her from her task in Tulla, on one occasion in Milford hospice she informed the doctors she had to be out for Tulla on Thursday. She went to Tulla, worked with the group and returned to the regional hospital for chemo that afternoon,” Siobhán explained.
Eventually, Sarah realised the task was draining her and drafted in her friend Marian Fenton, who took over as director. Sadly, Sarah died in April of this year and standing for a guard of honour at her funeral were the members of the Tulla Living Scenes group.
“The group came together with Dr Mary Surlis, NUIG, to discuss how to go forward and decided unanimously that they would give it their all in Sarah’s memory. I want to commend the adults and pupils alike who have taken on extra rehearsal sessions, even over the Easter, to do Sarah’s play justice,” Siobhán explained.
The play, ironically, deals with the death of a person in the prime of life and the effect of this on others. But Siobhán explains it’s by no means morbid.
“In typical Sarah style, it is full of laughter and the message is clear to us all, we should always express how we feel and let others know their value in our lives and not to wait for them to die to bring them roses,” she concluded.
The play runs on Tuesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 2 in Tulla Courthouse from 8pm. There is no cover charge but a donation box for Milford Hospice will be placed at the door.

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