Allingham Festival audiences of the last few years have regularly enjoyed interviews conducted by Sinead Crowley, including such highlights as Liz Nugent and Claire Keegan. We are delighted that Sinead has kindly agreed to host a number of events again this year. One of these will be a little different to anything she experienced in her former life as Media Correspondent of RTE.
It seems that somehow William and Helen Allingham will contrive to return to Ballyshannon for one night only to mark this very special Bicentenary Festival. They will talk to Sinead about William’s early days in Ballyshannon and his love of music, Helen’s significant achievements as a watercolourist and the many famous people they mixed with from Thomas Carlyle to Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen and the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Alfred Lord Tennyson is expected to make a surprise contribution. They may even be persuaded to say a word or two about how Ballyshannon has changed since they were last here.
Most of what will be said will be their own words from diaries, letters and other writings. However, some license will be taken to fit the staged entertainment so strict historical accuracy is not guaranteed.
The chat show format will be enhanced with a slideshow (or Magic Lantern in their words). It may be that in some Allingham festival of the distant future a similar event will be organised using artificial intelligence and avatars in the style of those used for ABBA in a current London production. For now, William and Helen will be channeled by local actors Michael McMullin and Patricia Keane. Renowned musician, Martin McGinley will illustrate William's love of Iriah music and, in a late addition to the cast, Holly McEneaney will appear as Eva Allingham.
The event will take place in Theatre 1 in the Abbey Arts Centre on Saturday, November 9 at 6 PM, Adm €10. It will be finished in plenty of time for those lucky individuals going on to the Muireann Bradley concert in St Anne’s at 8.
A joint production with Ballyshannon Drama Society.