Death row nun's story brought to Gaiety stage

The story of a crusading nun who dedicated her life to fighting for the abolition of the death penalty is being brought to the stage in Dublin this week.

Sr Helen Prejean, the inspiration for Academy Award-winning film Dead Man Walking, was in Dublin yesterday to see an operatic stage production of her story in the Gaiety Theatre.

The opera is adapted by Jake Heggie from a book Sr Helen wrote and tells how she befriended a condemned man on Louisiana's death row and watched his execution, before becoming a spiritual adviser to other death- row prisoners.

"Most people have not experienced someone they know being murdered," Sr Helen said. "I was with Patrick and he looked at my face just before they killed him."

According to Amnesty International, at least 1,500 people were executed in 25 different countries worldwide last year. More than 90 per cent of these executions were in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, the US and China, which accounted for 66 per cent of reported executions.

Sr Helen said although the number of executions annually was "growing higher", the number of countries sentencing prisoners to death "continues to decline".

"Irish people can help abolish the death penalty by getting involved in the human rights movement. Human rights are deep and inalienable, but the movement needs help to make it happen."

On her return to the US tomorrow, Sr Helen will return to death row where she is currently providing guidance to Manuel Ortiz from El Salvador, who was convicted for murdering his wife. He will be the seventh person accompanied to execution by Sr Helen.

"Being with a person before their execution is an amazing thing. There can be such an overwhelming presence of death. It's a secret ritual and I remember thinking people are never going to see this or witness it, so I had to tell the story," Sr Helen said.

Dead Man Walking will be performed in the Gaiety Theatre tonight, Thursday and Saturday. A percentage of the proceeds from tonight's show will be go to Amnesty International.

Tickets are available at www.operaireland.ie or from the Gaiety box office on (01) 677 1717.