Irish show honors foundress

Students from a school established by the Sisters in Clondalkin, Ireland, will perform "One Step Beyond," a multi-media show about the life of Nano Nagle, foundress of the Sisters of the Presentation. The U.S. premiere will be at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on April 8 at 2 p.m.

"I had heard about Troy Savings Bank Music Hall," said Yvonne Crotty, the creator of "One Step Beyond" as well as a religion and music teacher in Clondalkin. "It has a great reputation for acoustics. It's a great venue, and we're delighted to be there. It's a privilege."

Jubilee moment

"This project was first inspired when I attended a concert called 'Celtic Spirituality' in the National Concert Hall [in Dublin] in April 1999," she told The Evangelist. "While at this concert, I was very moved by a song written by Liam Lawton and dedicated to Nano Nagle, the foundress of the Presentation congregation. The song alerted me to the fact that, having taught in a Presentation school for ten years and observed the tireless work of the sisters in our school, I knew very little about this woman who was the reason my school in Clondalkin and so many other schools nationwide, indeed, worldwide, are in existence."

Miss Crotty had been asked to serve on a millennial committee for Presentation schools. The song at the concert inspired her to read the biography of Nano Nagle, titled "One Pace Beyond." Miss Crotty then had the idea of combining the song and the book for a stage performance.

Transatlantic link

In the Albany Diocese, the Sisters of the Presentation teach at St. Ambrose School in Latham and St. Helen's School in Niskayuna. They also staff the Cobb Memorial School, St. Colman's Home for Children, St. Colman's Day Care Center and Early Childhood Developmental program, and group homes.

Celtic sounds

Miss Crotty has been pleased by the reaction of some to the show, which she describes as "very Celtic."

"The kids are the litmus test," she said, "and they loved it. Fellows who'd rather be watching football say that the show is really great."

Nagle's story

Born in 1718 to wealthy parents in a small town in County Cork, Nano and her sister were sent to Paris to attend school, as educating Catholic children was against the law in Ireland at that time. Nano enjoyed the social life of Paris, while her sister was tending to the needs of the poor.

After a series of personal tragedies, Nano returned to Ireland where she became concerned for the poor Catholic children who had no access to education and were not able to learn or practice their faith. She began establishing schools, visiting the sick and the elderly, and working with women who were forced into prostitution in order to feed their families.

She and her friend, Blessed Edmund Rice, founder of the Irish Christian Brothers, are credited for pioneering Irish education, Miss Crotty said.

Source of esteem

"This is an old country town," she said. "It's now a disadvantaged area. Since their involvement in the show, the girls' self esteem has grown. I'm touched by their performances. You forget that they're young."

Local businesses and the community are rallying around the performance, as the students try to raise the money needed to travel to the U.S. "We're trying to get sponsorship," she said. "The parents who can't afford it don't want to tell their daughters that they can't go."

The students, she said, are very dedicated to the project. They practice during their lunch period, after school and on the weekends. Meanwhile. when Miss Crotty's school day ends, she begins another workday as she makes arrangements for the U.S. performances of the show. Despite the work involved, Miss Crotty is pleased to be bringing the story of Nano Nagle to the stage.

"I wouldn't be teaching in this school if not for her," she said. "It is because of her valiant efforts that this school and others exist."

(For tickets, contact the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall at 273-0038. For information on Nano Nagle, visit www.nanonagle.com.)

(03-22-01) [[In-content Ad]]