Rizal's 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrated in Ireland
Through His Beloved Irish Lady

The Philippine Embassy in Dublin marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Jose P. Rizal by hosting three public performances of “Tu Dulce Extranjera.”, a play specially developed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Irish audiences and the Filipino community in Ireland were visibly captivated by the dramatic monologue performance of Shamaine Centenera- Buencamino in her portrayal of Josephine Bracken, the Irish lady immortalized by Rizal as his "dulce extranjera" in his Mi Ultimo Adios.

Many in the Filipino community said they had vague recollections about who was Josephine but that now they appreciate her significance in Rizal's life. The Irish audience, previously unaware of the "Irish connection" to Philippine history and the country's National hero, were delighted to know about this special link. “The monodrama was very well executed, the story an intriguing insight into Philippine history & folklore” was one of many comments received by the Embassy from Irish viewers. The monodrama and the Rizal-Josephine relationship was also the subject of the entire column “An Irishman’s Diary” by Frank McNally in the 11 June 2011 issue of The Irish Times newspaper.

Several thousand kababayans and their Irish friends watched the play in Dublin during the Philippine Day celebration by the Filipino community. Another presentation was staged for the diplomatic corps and Irish government functionaries during the Embassy’s Independence Day reception. The signature staging of the play was before an enthralled full-house audience at the Birr Theatre and Arts Centre in County Offaly, the ancestral district of the Brackens. Seated in the audience was Josephine’s great grandnephew Francis Bracken and several others who had Brackens in their family tree. The parliamentary representative of the district, Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy thanked Philippine Ambassador Ariel Abadilla for making Josephine known to her County Offaly town mates and assured him of full support in the Embassy’s endeavors to further promote Philippine-Irish relations.

The NCCA-commissioned production team for the play “Tu Dulce Extranjera” is composed of Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino (in the role of Josephine), Layeta Bucoy (playwright) and Armando “Tuxq” Rutaquio (director). END