The village of Pallasgreen in Co. Limerick made its national television debut with The Passion which depicts the final 24 hours of Jesus Christ, filmed over three weeks last April.
Four months after an estimated 5,000 people descended on the small village in East Limerick, the Pallasgreen actors and residents were eager to see their hard work broadcast on the silver screen and “connect with a new audience all over again,” champions The Passion director Eamon Harty.
“I think we completely exceeded not only our own expectations but the expectations of everyone who came to witness the event. Everyone was pushed to the limit and we wanted people not to just come, watch and listen, but to actually feel part of it. I think we achieved our goal,” says Eamon proudly. Over almost 19 consecutive hours a captivated audience were transported back in time to the garden of Gethsemane to watch the arrest of Jesus Christ and his subsequent trial. On Good Friday crowds gathered to see Jesus being crowned with thorns and make his final pilgrimage to the top of Nicker Hill just outside the village for the Crucifixion scene. While rehearsals began in early September 2013, word on what the small group of amateur actors in Pallasgreen were creating soon began to spread. In January 2014, over 100 parishioners were lucky enough to get a special preview of what was to be recreated.
The two-day event was the product of a 22-year-old idea when Eamon first witnessed a play in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, based on Christ’s final 24 hours.