Though it was her theatrical debut, the late journalist relished the challenge, writes Fiach Mac Conghail

The first time I met Mary Raftery we had a heated discussion about Irish theatre. In fact, this discussion happened to be overheard by 300 delegates at a Theatre Forum conference in Cork in 2008. We disagreed publicly over what the Abbey Theatre should be doing as a national theatre but she showed a graceful sense of respect and listened. I had no doubt about her integrity, her humanity and her rigour but we both stood up to each other that day.

In May 2009, the Ryan Report into institutional child abuse was published. I was profoundly moved by the testimonies but didn't know what to do about it. How could the Abbey Theatre respond artistically to the findings of this report?

We had never undertaken such a public response before on any other public issue. It may have been a controversial move to ask a journalist and not a playwright to engage with the awful and depraved findings, but I had an instinct. In November 2009, I rang Mary to ask her to write a play. From our first conversation she was committed to the project and interested in realising how theatre and theatrical presentation might tell this story. For her, it was a theatrical debut and for us it was an intense period of focus.

In January 2010, Mary Raftery, Roisin McBrinn (director) and Aideen Howard (Abbey literary director) set up a kitchen cabinet in Abbey Street to support this new departure for the national theatre. Mary's challenge was to edit over 2,500 pages of the report into an evening of theatre lasting 90 minutes. The hope was that this piece of documentary theatre would bring people closer to the reality of living through the immense cruelty and abuse suffered by tens of thousands of children who grew up in

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the institutional care system. Mary took to this new creative process so well. She enjoyed the risk of working in theatre and with our actors and crew. She gave me confidence to produce this important production and I know that she learned and enjoyed being behind the scenes. It was an intense time and as I got more nervous, Mary, through her presence and calming charisma, managed to instil confidence in us. We, on the other hand, could reassure her that as far as the production would go, it would be 'alright on the night'.

On April 14, 2010, No Escape -- her documentary play -- opened at the Abbey Theatre in the presence of survivors of child abuse and our audiences. It was the first time that I cried at an opening night. The reason for the extraordinary reaction to the play was that we were all, as audience members, in the theatre together bearing witness. When this happens in a theatre there is nothing to beat it. Hearing the actors tell the stories amidst the tears of our audiences is an experience that will stay with me.

No Escape conveyed the essence of Judge Sean Ryan's report, using only the words contained in the report combined with extracts from some of the public hearings of the Ryan Commission. That was Mary's skill. She told an impactful story, simply and with no melodrama.

It was a new experience for both of us and it was one of the highlights of my time at the Abbey Theatre. No Escape was the right thing to do for the national theatre and we are a richer and better organisation for that.

Fiach Mac Conghail is Director of the Abbey Theatre and an Independent Senator