Nine days of music, theatre and culture at Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival

 

Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival will return this August with nine days of music, theatre, literature, comedy, visual art and community events taking place at venues throughout the town.

Running from Saturday, August 1st to Sunday, August 9th, this year’s programme combines leading national performers with local artists, musicians, actors and community groups.

The festival will begin with RTÉ broadcaster and journalist Miriam O’Callaghan in conversation with Mary Cunniffe at Durkin’s on the Square at 2 pm on Saturday, August 1st.

The discussion will draw on O’Callaghan’s memoir, Miriam, and her lengthy career covering major political, social and national events.

Ballaghaderreen Players will take to the stage at St Nathy’s College on August 1st, 2nd and 3rd with their production of Brian Friel’s much-loved play Dancing at Lughnasa. Performances will begin at 7.30 pm each evening.

The opening weekend will also include a free workshop and performance by the Totally Made-Up Orchestra, a series of ukulele workshops and a Ukulele Fleadh on the Square.

Local author Haulie Grady will discuss his new book, I Wonder if I Had Turned Right, with Christy McCann at Durkin’s on Sunday, August 2nd. Documentary maker and author Frank Shouldice will appear at the same venue on Monday, August 3rd.

Families will be well catered for throughout the week, with Broken Theatre Circus returning to the Fair Green for performances on August 4th, 5th and 6th.

Children’s author Patricia Forde will meet young readers aged five and over at the library in Dillon House on Saturday, August 8th at 11.30 am.

A busy visual arts programme will run alongside the live events. The Community Arts Exhibition will be staged at the Phoenix Centre from August 1st to 9th, following its official opening on July 31st.

The Mix Pix exhibition will celebrate the photography of the late Mick McCormack at the library in Dillon House from August 4th to 8th.

Works by Conor O’Connell, Marita O’Hanlon, Simon Culleton, Eithne Gallagher and Margaret Rattigan will also be displayed at Mulligan’s on Main Street during the festival.

O’Connell will exhibit memorabilia associated with the well-known Ballaghaderreen business Monica Duff & Co Ltd, marking the 40th anniversary of its closure in 1986.

Music will be at the heart of the programme, with Altan and The Toweys performing at St Nathy’s Cathedral on Wednesday, August 5th.

Songwriter and pianist Phil Coulter will appear at the cathedral the following evening, accompanied by the Ballaghaderreen Children’s Choir.

Other musical events will include By the Light of the Silvery Moon, featuring Aindrias de Staic, Aisling Lyons and Brian Fleming, at St Nathy’s College on Tuesday, August 4th.

Classical music will feature on Friday, August 7th, when the ConTempo String Quartet will perform at St Nathy’s College alongside clarinettist John Finucane, the Cathedral Choir and fellow musicians.

Theatre will return to Edmondstown House during the final weekend, where Noël Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit will be performed between August 7th and 9th.

Edmondstown House will also host ABBA tribute act Abbaesque, supported by local group Voyager, on Saturday, August 8th.

The festival will conclude with a stand-up comedy night on Sunday, August 9th, featuring Colm O’Regan and Gar Curran, with Roscommon comedian Sharon Mannion acting as compère.

A major climate action conference entitled The Future of Our Children’s World will be held at St Nathy’s College on Friday, August 7th.

The full-day event will bring together speakers working in public health, sustainability, renewable energy, education and community development. Contributors will include Dr Mike Ryan, former Executive Director of the World Health Organisation’s Health Emergencies Programme, and former Chief Medical Officer Professor Breda Smyth.

The full festival programme and ticket information are available through the Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phil Coulter, Altan and Miriam O’Callaghan lead festival line-up

 

Legendary songwriter Phil Coulter, traditional music group Altan and broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan are among the headline names confirmed for the 2026 Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival.

The festival will run from Saturday, August 1st to Sunday, August 9th, with its leading events taking place at St Nathy’s Cathedral, St Nathy’s College, Durkin’s and Edmondstown House.

One of the main highlights will be a special concert by Phil Coulter and the Ballaghaderreen Children’s Choir at St Nathy’s Cathedral on Thursday, August 6th at 7.30 pm.

Coulter’s career as a songwriter, pianist and performer has spanned more than five decades. His catalogue includes The Town I Loved So Well, Scorn Not His Simplicity and Ireland’s Call, as well as international hits such as Eurovision winner Puppet on a String and Cliff Richard’s Congratulations.

The Ballaghaderreen concert will bring Coulter together with young local singers for an evening celebrating his best-known music and the next generation of talent.

Traditional Irish music will take centre stage at the cathedral one night earlier when internationally acclaimed group Altan perform with The Toweys on Wednesday, August 5th at 7.30 pm.

Led by Donegal fiddle player and vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Altan have brought the music and songs of Donegal to audiences around the world. They will be joined in Ballaghaderreen by the Towey family from Kilmovee, who will open the evening with a showcase of traditional music from the local area.

The festival’s headline programme will begin on Saturday, August 1st when Miriam O’Callaghan appears in conversation with Mary Cunniffe at Durkin’s on the Square at 2 pm.

One of Ireland’s most recognisable journalists and broadcasters, O’Callaghan has spent decades covering elections, referendums and major events through her work with RTÉ.

Her Ballaghaderreen appearance will explore her broadcasting career, family life and some of the experiences featured in her memoir, Miriam.

Storytelling and traditional music will come together in By the Light of the Silvery Moon at St Nathy’s College on Tuesday, August 4th at 8 pm.

The 90-minute performance will feature actor, storyteller and musician Aindrias de Staic on fiddle, accompanied by Aisling Lyons on harp and Brian Fleming on percussion.

Popular music will be represented during the final weekend when Abbaesque appear at Edmondstown House on Saturday, August 8th.

The tribute act will perform a selection of ABBA favourites, with support provided by emerging local group Voyager.

Edmondstown House will also host the festival’s closing stand-up comedy night on Sunday, August 9th at 8 pm.

Comedians Colm O’Regan and Gar Curran will take to the stage, with Roscommon’s Sharon Mannion acting as compère for the evening.

Classical music fans can look forward to a concert by the ConTempo String Quartet at St Nathy’s College on Friday, August 7th at 7.30 pm.

The programme will also feature clarinettist John Finucane, the Cathedral Choir and fellow musicians Vovo, Ivan and Valentin.