Kilmuckridge Drama Festival 2026
Kilmuckridge Memorial Hall
Under the Auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland
Friday 20th February – Saturday 28th February 2026
Shows start at 8pm nightly except on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th February when show starts at the earlier time of 7.30pm.
Adjudicator: Anna Walker
Thanks to our nightly sponsors, and also to Jack Dunne & Son for the kind sponsorship of their stylish dress suits, to Richard Downes for the kind sponsorship of gas keeping the hall cosy during the festival, to Transport & General Refrigeration for the kind sponsorship of Sound, and to Top Tyres for their kind sponsorship of the Lighting during the festival.
Festival Line Up below. Scroll below the table for synopsis of the plays.
Date |
Drama Group |
Play |
Playwright |
Confined /Open Section |
Thanks to our Nightly Sponsors |
Friday 20th February |
Carlow Little Theatre Society |
Eden |
Eugene O’Brien |
Open Section |
|
Saturday 21st February |
Gorey Little Theatre |
Gut |
Frances Poet |
Confined Section |
|
Sunday 22nd February |
Kilmuckridge Drama Group |
The Communication Cord |
Brian Friel |
Confined Section |
|
Monday 23rd February |
Wayside Players |
The Maiden Aunt |
Jimmy Keary |
Not in competition |
Not Applicable |
Tuesday 24th February |
Performance Cancelled |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
Not Applicable |
Not applicable |
Wednesday 25th February |
Bridge Drama |
Things I Know To Be True |
Andrew Bovell |
Open Section |
Hammel’s Centra |
Thursday 26th February |
Wexford Drama Group |
Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me |
Frank McGuinness |
Open Section |
|
Friday 27th February |
Ballycogley Players |
All My Sons |
Arthur Miller |
Open Section |
|
Saturday 28th February |
Tinahely Variety Group |
Moonglow |
Kim Carney |
Confined Section |
Synopsis of the Plays
Friday 20th February – “Eden” by Eugene O’Brien
Eden contains strong language and adult content and is suitable for ages 16+.
Eden is the powerful story of an ordinary relationship on an extraordinary weekend. Billy and Breda are approaching their 10th wedding anniversary. Breda is determined that this will be the weekend that saves their marriage. But Billy is more concerned with Imelda, the beautiful young woman he has his eyes on. From the writer of hit RTÉ drama ‘Pure Mule’, Eden is the story of stale love and fresh lust in the Irish midlands. Eden was the winner of Best New Play at both the Irish Times Theatre Awards and the Stewart Parker Awards in 2001.
Saturday 21st February -“Gut” by Frances Poet
Maddy and Rory are devoted parents to their three year old son Joshua, committed to keeping him happy and safe. But when an everyday visit to a supermarket café turns into a far more troubling incident, their trust in those closest to them is shattered.
Sunday 22nd February -“The Communication Cord” by Brian Friel
Set in a restored thatched cottage close to the sea in the remote townland of Ballybeg, County Donegal. The Communication Cord is a farce which is preoccupied with language and its powerful effects.
Monday 23rd February – “The Maiden Aunt” by Jimmy Keary
Gertie O’Grady, a retired teacher and spinster comes to stay with her niece Mary Murphy after a spell in hospital. Mary tries to persuade her aunt to make a will. When Gertie apparently dies Mary’s husband Dan comes up with an elaborate plan to get their hands on her money.
Tuesday 24th February – Performance cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and is rescheduled to Saturday 28th February 2026
Wednesday 25th February – “Things I Know To Be True” by Andrew Bovell
Things I Know To Be True is about love in its many forms. At times comforting and supportive, at others suffocating and destructive. But always love.
In this deeply moving play, a family is tested by the complexities of love, identity and the passage of time. Bob and Fran have spent their lives raising their four children, only to find that in the messy, imperfect nature of family, the bonds they have worked so hard to build are slowly unravelling. As their adult children confront their own personal battles- from love and heartbreak to self discovery – the Price family is forced to confront uncomfortable truths that will change them forever.
Thursday 26th February – “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank McGuinness
An Irishman, an Englishman and an American are held hostage in a Lebanese jail. As the three men strive for survival they also strive to overcome their personal and nationalistic differences.
Friday 27th February – “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller
In Joe and Kate Keller’s family garden, an apple tree – a memorial to their son Larry, lost in the Second World War – has been torn down by a storm. But his loss is not the only part of the family’s past they can’t put behind them. Not everybody’s forgotten the court case that put Joe’s partner in jail, or the cracked engine heads his factory produced which caused it and dropped twenty one pilots out of the sky…
Saturday 28th February- “Moonglow” by Kim Carney
Maxine, a feisty, bitter, Alzheimer’s victim, doesn’t want to move into a nursing facility. But when she meets Joe, a widower who shares her love for dance, her outlook begins to change. Although the two clash when lucid, their hazy memories overlap, and they begin an affair that rejuvenates and fulfills them. But can these lovers-played simultaneously by an elderly twosome and a young, vivacious couple – stay together despite their families’ wishes and their fading vitality!