Papal altar has ring of Irish tradition about it
Stage set in Phoenix Park for massive open air Mass
THERE’S no show like a holy show. That’s essentially t he promise from those working behind the scenes to create a 12hour programme for pilgrims in Dublin’s Phoenix Park next week.
Global event specialist Arcana has been brought in to put together a series of performances that will be “the complete opposition of rock ’n’ roll”.
Former Saw Doctors drummer Johnny Donnelly has led the team, which is basing their staging on the Claddagh Ring.
“At the end of the day there’s an event on here and a show has to be created for that,” he said.
Mr Donnelly explained the concept is based on the Pope’s teachings and his idea that families are connected to the vine.
He said: “A bit like a fine wine that grows as time progresses, a family does the same type of thing. Being from Galway we connected that to the Claddagh Ring. It’s all about putting your arms around somebody. We started thinking about these different elements then we very quickly realised that the altar will be circular.
“Normally a lot of stages you see around the world are rectangle shapes. We knew then that we wanted to have that warming, feng shui type of a thing,” he said. “Life isn’t about how many breaths you take, it’s about how many times life takes your breath away.
“We want to bring different emotions into people. For us the visual of this is really important.”
Older people are being urged to consult their GPs before embarking on a lengthy trek to see Pope Francis in the Phoenix Park.
Health chiefs have warned that people will have to walk up to 14km by the time they attend Mass and work their way back to a public transport hub.
Chief emergency management officer Brendan Lawlor said people “need to engage with their healthcare provider”. “For people who feel they may not be able to do this, we’ve moved on in 40 years. The television coverage of event is going to be absolutely massive and close-up,” he said.
“You’ ll see every aspect of the event so people shouldn’t lose out.”
More than 1,000 medical providers will be working within the confines of the Phoenix Park on Sunday, August 26.