The sounds of Brazil come to the streets of Ballyshannon as the local Samba Band bring us the infectious rhythms of the Rio Carnival to help us swing into our Festival.

Come join us in the Abbey Centre for the official opening of the festival, with Councillor Niamh Kennedy, Chairperson of Donegal County Council.
All Welcome!

One of Ireland’s best-known journalists and broadcasters, Richard Curran presents The Business every Saturday on RTE Radio 1. In the past he has held editorial positions in both The Irish Independent and The Sunday Business Post. Not to forget his involvement in the Irish edition of Dragon’s Den.  A consummate communicator, Richard is sure to fascinate us as he delves into the world of A.I. which is already playing such a huge part in all our lives.  

Sponsored by Brian J McMullin Solicitors

The House of Stories  takes place monthly in the Thatch pub. Always a great night’s entertainment which features song, stories, tunes and general devilment. Feel free to just listen or better still get up and do your party piece. 

 Storyteller Joe Brennan, author of Donegal Folk Tales, can take you on a magical journey through the imagination with his wonderful stories, from Irish folk tales and legends to stories from all corners of the globe. Joe wraps you up in the warmth of his words, bringing a smile to your face, stretching credulity, moving your heart and leaving you feeling that all is well in the world.

We are delighted that Joe will make his Allingham Festival debut on Thursday/Friday November 7th - 8th, when he will entertain and delight the Primary School children of Ballyshannon as he visits all the schools in the area.

‘House of Fiddlers’ by Glenn Hendrix and Caoimhin Mac Aoidh tells the fascinating story of the Arranmore and Rosses emigrants and their journey, following the Famine, to settle on  Beaver Island on Lake Michigan. The music they brought with them was recorded by the great collector Alan Lomax and is to be found in the Library of Congress. It gives a rare and strong echo of pre–Famine Donegal Fiddle music.  It is a truly remarkable story and readings from the book at the launch will bring this fascinating tale to life. 

‘110 Donegal Fiddle Tunes, Volume 1’  a collection of rare Donegal fiddle tunes which serves as a companion to Caoimhin Mac Aoidh’s acclaimed book ‘Between the Jigs and Reels Revisited’ will also be launched today. The book  contains a number of rare tunes collected and played by William Allingham. There is a strong possibility that a few tunes may be played at this launch. 

This film, as seen through the eyes of nine-year-old Sarah McInaw, highlights the remarkable dedication, skills and insights of her grandfather, Patsy McInaw, who has built over two miles of dry-stone wall on his farm in Mountcharles, Co. Donegal. A fascinating glimpse into one of our great traditional skills.

Director: Michael McMonagle. 
Assistant Directors: Manus Brennan and Emer O Shea. 
Music: Gerry Grennan.

DIRECTORS: Garry Keane and Stephen Gerard Kelly

A portrait of modern-day Lebanon as seen through the eyes of four families living in the impoverished Sabra and Shatila neighborhoods of the city, the scene of an infamous massacre in 1982.

We are honoured to be in a position to bring you this critically acclaimed documentary which penetrates deep below the surface of Beirut, a still beautiful, yet deeply troubled city on the brink of financial collapse.  The film weaves together the stories of four characters living in the neighbourhoods of Sabra and Shatila struggling to survive with dignity and decency amidst unimaginable hardship. This wonderful intimate character-driven study is brought to us by Ballyshannon man Garry Keane who is one of the best documentary makers in the business  The film is Ireland’s entry in the International/Foreign Film category in the Academy Awards 2024. A Q and A will follow the screening of the film.

A must see event.

This showing is a fund raiser for the charity Amjaad which provides aid to thousands of families in Gaza in the form of food, clean water and medicines. Amjaad’s dedicated and hard-working team are all volunteers.

Anything goes in this Open Mic free for all which is orchestrated in his own inimitable style by Tony Liston. Feel free to take the Mic and display your talents or just sit and enjoy. 
Always a great night’s entertainment.

Storyteller, Joe Brennan continues his trip around the Primary Schools of Ballyshannon.   

Inspired by Sherrie Scott, this group gathers weekly in the shadow of St. Anne’s Church to share their passion for poetry and storytelling. Their spontaneous creativity promises to bring a splash of Mertales wit and wonder to Dicey Reilly’s Pub. As if that is not enough renowned singer Fiona Maria Fitzpatrick will give us all a treat as she performs.

 In a special event we are proud to include a live recording of the very popular Fifth Court Legal Podcast.

Hosts Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL will discuss ‘Literature and the Law’.  This is a topic which is sure to be of great interest to writers and readers alike.

Theatre 3 Admission Free

Sponsored by Brian McMullin Solicitors

A very talented writer, musician and performer Jennifer Liston has returned home to Ireland after more than 30 years in Australia. Her fourth poetry collection, Grace Notes, which reimagines the voice of Grainne Mhaol / Grace O Malley, Ireland’s pirate queen, will be launched tonight.

Award winning poet and regular festival guest Winifred McNulty will introduce Jennifer Liston.

A fascinating hour is in store for us. 

Paddy Campbell brings Marie Jones’ wonderful drama to the Abbey Stage.

The play deals with one man’s struggle with national identity during the troubles in Northern Ireland. What he witnesses during the World Cup qualifying game between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 1994 leads him on a voyage of self-discovery. 

At once funny, sad and very profound, this play has a real relevance in today’s world considering the political situation on this island, which includes the possibility of a referendum on the political future of both North and South.

Paddy Campbell gave a tour de force when he performed this play a number of years ago and we can expect more of the same this time around. A must see.  

Performed by Paddy Campbell.

Director: Christian Carbin.   

Lighting and Sound: Christian Carbin

Christine’s hugely popular workshop returns to Allingham for the 14th consecutive year, a testament to its excellence. It is suitable for children aged 6 to 12.

Places are limited and early booking is advised.

To reserve a place please phone or text tbc.

A regional WORD meeting will be held in Kilbarron House for current and prospective members. 

All writers are invited to attend. 

WORD is an association of professional members of the Irish Writers’ Centre.

So popular were Little Top Stars for the last two years that we had to have them back bringing the wonder and magic of circus skills, such as juggling and Diabolo to the children of the area.

Drop in at any time to experience the sheer joy Little Top Stars bring to their events.

Suitable for children aged 6 to 12.

No booking necessary. 

Always a much-loved event. We get to hear and see the up-and-coming  fiction, poetry and artistic talent of the county as the winners of our competitions get to read and  display their work to a live audience and pick up their awards.

The event is hosted in his own inimitable style by Conor Carney.

Light refreshments are available from 11.00 am in the foyer.

The 2024 Literary Lunch includes the Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Awards, plus the launch of an historical crime novel by Tom Sigafoos. 

Competition judges, Kate Newmann and Nuala O’ Connor will host the awards, with the winning pieces being  read by the authors. 

Admission to the Awards Ceremony and book launch is Free.

An optional buffet lunch will be available for €20

‘Magic Primitivism in a border landscape: representations of Donegal on film’

A very popular contributor to the Festival, Ballyshannon man Ken Fox brings his fascinating view on how Donegal has been portrayed on film all down the years. 

Portrayal of the county tends to concentrate on mountains, valleys, lakes,  rivers and the magnificent vistas of the Atlantic Ocean beating on the rugged coastline. Ken Fox will offer a fascinating look at how these representations of the landscape overlap and merge with the human made element of the county, such as the border, tourists and terrorists. It is this, what he terms ‘’magic primitivism’’ that makes Donegal such an attraction for filmmakers.  Ken’s talks are always enlightening and never less than entertaining.

Dr Ken Fox recently retired as Principal Lecturer in the School of Creative Arts and Industries, Canterbury Christ Church University, U.K. Ken now works as an independent researcher focusing on how Donegal, as part of the Wild Atlantic Way, is represented in film and television. Ken is a native of Ballyshannon and he cites his visits to the Abbey Cinema in the 1960s and 1970s as a key resource for his academic career as a film scholar. Ken’s publications include: 

Fox, K. (2023) "Going to the Pictures: the influence of cinema going on creative artists in the border regions of Ireland.” Australasian Journal of Irish Studies. Vol. 23. pp. 54-72. 

Lovell, J. and Fox, K. (2023). "Always the desert: creating affective landscapes in Breaking Bad". in: Champion, E., Lee, C., Stadler, J. and Peaslee, R. M. (eds.) Screen Tourism and Affective Landscapes: The Real, the Virtual and the Cinematic. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 121-135. 

’Where the Wind is Always Young’ is a short film about the poet Declan Doherty and is an audio-visual-record of seven poems written by the poet , five of which he recited for the film. The movie was filmed by Strabane filmmaker Declan Foley over the last five months of the poet’s life and  is in a way his final testament.

‘The Battle of Assaroe’, a film by Emer O Shea, explores the history of Assaroe Lake, its performance as a habitat for wildlife and the impact of the hydroelectric power plant on the landscape of Ballyshannon and the River Erne. This beautiful film will bring  the viewer on a trip down memory lane and at the same time pose questions about the future of the lake.

This film has won 7 awards from film festivals worldwide including Best Short Documentary in Venezuela and Best Inspirational Film in Florence. 

If you can’t wait or want to know more, check out the trailers for Battle of Assaroe and Where the Wind is Always Young

We are privileged to have three consummate writers, Phyl Herbert, Liz McManus and Mary Rose Callaghan, with us  to discuss their acclaimed memoirs The Price of Silence, When Things Come to Light and The Deep End in conversation with a great friend of the Festival, Sinead Crowley. 

This promises to be a hugely enjoyable event as these three very successful women take us on their fascinating and uplifting  journeys through life and explain just what compelled them to publish their stories which go beyond the surface and delve into the tears and joy of human existence.    

Not to be missed. 

This event is sponsored by Dicey Reilley’s Pub and Off-Licence

Paul O’Brien is a renowned writer and  journalist who lives in Dublin. He has written and spoken widely on Theatre, History, Literature and Politics. 

Today Paul takes a look at the plays of Sean O Casey, especially The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars and shows how O’Casey’s work always explores the frontiers between literature and politics.

As we finish commemorating the decade from 1916 to 1923 Paul O’Brien will bring us on a journey which connects The 1916 Rising, The War of Independence and The Civil War to O’Casey’s work and how these seminal events in our history affected the lives of the ordinary people of Dublin.

A fascinating hour is in store for us.   

To mark the bicentenary of the birth of William Allingham, award winning actors Michael McMullin and Trish Keane play the parts of William and his wife Helen as they are interviewed by Sinead Crowley.

This promises to be a fascinating event where we will delve into William’s early days in Ballyshannon, Helen’s achievements as a painter and the many famous people with whom they were friends. Based on the diaries, letters and other works from the Allingham archive the interview will be enhanced by a slide show and music from Allingham’s era. 

Players:  Michael McMullin as William Allingham and  Trish Keane as Helen.

Interviewer  Sinead Crowley.  

Since she burst into the nation’s consciousness after her appearance on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on New Year’s Eve, Muireann Bradley has been selling out venues wherever she plays. A uniquely talented singer and guitarist. She has single handedly raised the awareness of guitar finger picking in the country blues and folk blues styles with her three-finger technique which leaves audiences enthralled and shouting for more. A treat is in store for those lucky enough to have tickets.

Support will be provided by Chanelle McGuinness a Ballyshannon born singer songwriter whose melodic , haunting songs will provide a great start to what promises to be a wonderful night’s music in this magical venue.

A great start to the last day of our Festival and a  firm favourite every year, this Open Mic session invites poets, storytellers, singers, musicians and writers to strut their stuff in an informal, warm and welcoming event. 

The PJ Drummond Cup will be presented for the best performance of a reading or recitation as judged by the audience.

Best selling novelist Sinéad Crowley is a longtime friend of the Allingham Festival and we are proud to be able to help launch her latest novel, A Maid on Fifth Avenue. This dual timeline book offers a fascinating glimpse into New York in the 1920s and a century later into post pandemic Ireland.

Sinéad will read from the book in a chat with Susan O'Keefe, Director of Yeats Society, Sligo, journalist and former senator. 

The renowned artist Celina Muldoon, Rhonda McGovern PhD Researcher at Trinity Centre for Environmental Humanities and Dr. Clare Kelly Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning, School of Psychology, Trinity College, Dublin invite you to a fascinating panel discussion to consider the climate emergency, global political landscape and the effects of late-stage capitalism on the world in which we live.

Based on Celina Muldoon’s wonderful exhibition The Gate on this disk  of the sun will turn to the disk of the moon and our children sold for silver, this event will provide us all with a lot of food for thought.

Already seen to great acclaim at the RHA in Dublin and the Dock in Carrick on Shannon. Needs to be seen.       

We are delighted to be working with three emerging writers with strong Donegal connections, Shaun Byrne, Kieran Kelly and Gerry Moriarty.    

They have each supplied us with a twenty-minute  excerpt from  works they have in progress. These will be given a Workshop Production by actors from the Ballyshannon Drama Society. A rare chance to see such talented writers display their creations in embryonic stage.  

Homegirls by Shaun Byrne features Louise Larkin, Anne-Marie Garvey, Roisin Lee, Diarmuid McInerney and Sean McLoone. Directed by Sean McLoone.

The Evicted by Kieran Kelly. This piece will be performed by Ronan Drummond, Callum Gallagher and Joanne Cassidy. The Director is Terence McEneaney.

The Priests by Gerry Moriarty.  Parts will be played by Mary Hoey and Mark Kirby with Kevin Lilly directing.

The performances will be followed by a short Q & A led by Michael McMullin.

William Allingham’s Parish Church is a wonderful venue for the finale of our festival. 

There is no better way to finish off your weekend than by enjoying music, poetry and readings in this iconic venue.