At its original production in February 1926, the audience rioted. Now regarded as a masterpiece, this provocative play is an essential part of our understanding of Irish history and Irish theatre. 

The residents of a Dublin tenement shelter from the violence that sweeps through the city’s streets. A revolution that will shape the country’s future rages around them. What kind of Ireland awaits them?  

Set amid the tumult of the Easter Rising, The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart by the idealism of the time. 

Director Tom Creed said: “This production is a chance to remind us that O’Casey was a trailblazing innovator as well as a social realist of great humanity and compassion. The opportunity to stage the 100th anniversary production of the play at the Abbey is a rare and precious one – to honour its extraordinary legacy and to remind us how it continues to reflect Ireland back at itself a century after its legendary debut.” 

Cast will be announced in the coming weeks. 

To see more about the 2026 Abbey Theatre season, click here.