7 December 2025

Drama in the Seminary

At Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Blackrock, the students would balance study with entertainment. A core element was putting on plays, which are extensively documented through photography. One photograph album spans 1941 to 1947 and features The Knockbeg Goldrush (1941), Captain X (1942), The Sport of Kings (1943), The Money Doesn’t Matter (1944), Peter (1945), The Whip Hand (1946) and I Killed the Count (1947). Each year, the play was performed in January.

Below you can see the 1946 and 1947 performances. Dermot O’Dowd and Brendan O’Dowd in the character lists were blood brothers. A lot of work clearly went into the costumes and set-making.