A few weeks ago, katriona o’sullivan reached thousands of students across Ireland in a way that was impossible to miss: a live stream of Poor from the Gate Theatre. The screening was watched in schools across 29 counties and placed her story in front of young people who would not usually see themselves in that setting. Around 8, 000 of those students were from Deis schools, making the moment especially significant for schools and pupils who rarely walk through those doors.
That reach matters because it turned a theatre production into a national school event, with students watching together from classrooms rather than seats in the auditorium. The scale also underscores why katriona o’sullivan continues to draw attention: her story is being encountered not only as a memoir, but as a live cultural moment with direct access to young audiences.
Thousands watching from schools across Ireland
The live stream brought Poor to 23, 000 students across 29 counties. The audience included pupils from Deis schools, and the framing around the screening was clear: these are young people who would not usually see themselves reflected in the Gate Theatre, and who would not usually be expected to enter that space.
Instead, they saw the story unfold on stage from their own schools. That shift in access is the central point of the moment, and it is why the event has landed with such force. For many students, the experience was not simply about watching a performance; it was about being included in a cultural space that can often feel distant.
Why the moment matters now
The significance of the screening lies in the audience it reached and the setting in which it reached them. Bringing a theatre production into schools removes some of the barriers that can keep disadvantaged students away from arts spaces, while still keeping the story intact and visible.
It also places katriona o’sullivan at the centre of a wider conversation about who gets to see themselves in public culture. In this case, the answer was thousands of students across the country, including many from Deis schools, watching together in a shared national moment.
What happens next
The immediate development is already clear: the live stream has widened the audience for Poor far beyond the theatre itself. What comes next will depend on whether that reach becomes a model for future school-based screenings and similar access efforts.
For now, the lasting image is simple and hard to ignore. Thousands of students in 29 counties, including many from Deis schools, watched Poor and saw katriona o’sullivan brought to life on stage in a way they would not usually experience.
