Festival Programme

Kilmuckridge Drama Festival 2025

Kilmuckridge Memorial Hall

Under the Auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland

Friday 21st February  – Saturday 1st March 2025

Shows start at 8pm nightly except on final night Saturday 1st March show starts at the earlier time of 7.30pm

Adjudicator: Imelda McDonagh

Thanks to our nightly sponsors, and also to Jack Dunne & Son for the kind sponsorship of their stylish dress suits, and to Richard Downes for the kind sponsorship of gas keeping the hall cosy during the festival.

Festival Line Up below.  Scroll below the table for synopsis of the plays.

Synopsis of the Plays

Friday 21st February – “The Seafarer” by Conor McPherson

The Seafarer by Conor McPherson is a haunting and darkly comedic play set in a modest house in a coastal suburb of Dublin on Christmas Eve.  Sharky Harkin has recently returned to care for his blind brother, Richard, and is struggling to stay sober amidst the holiday chaos.  As old friends gather for a night of drinking and poker, tensions rise, and buried grievances bubble to the surface.
An unexpected guest joins the group, bringing an air of mystery and unsettling revelations that cast a shadow over the evening.
Filled with sharp humour and deeply human moments, The Seafarer is a richly atmospheric tale about camaraderie, resilience, and the unseen forces that shape our lives.

Saturday 22nd February -“The Weir” by Conor McPherson

Gathered at the pub on a windy night in rural Ireland, the landlord and his regulars share old stories with Valarie, a young woman who has recently arrived from Dublin. At turns ghostly and mesmerising their tales draw Valarie into their world – but it is her story that stops the men in their tracks. Examining chances of missed opportunity and the loneliness that results in it, The Weir is a haunting play with its roots in Irish folklore.

Sunday 23rd February -“Amongst Men” by Eoghan Rua Finn

It is 1969 Seán Walsh, a primary school teacher, plans to commemorate the revolutionary period in Wexford with his sixth class pupils. His mother was a Cumann na mBan member and has first hand knowledge of life during the wars. Knowledge she prefers to remain secret. When tragedy strikes Seán’s attention turns to uncovering his mother’s secrets, a mission that puts him in conflict with local political and religious leaders, and puts his job, identity and life in jeopardy.

Monday 24th February – “Bailegangaire” by Tom Murphy  (Please note play not child friendly)

‘Bailegangaire’ tells the story of three women who are dependent on, and at war with, one another. Mommo, the dominating and tyrannical grandmother, is bed-ridden and attended by two long-suffering granddaughters. In her unfinished storytelling Mommo has the power to keep the sense of the past alive or finish the story and liberate both herself and her two granddaughters from the chaos and blight that hangs over them all.

Tuesday 25th February – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Simon Stephens

Teenaged Christopher, stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog. It is seven minutes after midnight, Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain, exceptional at maths, but he is ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. But Christopher’s detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that turns his world upside down. **Winner of 7 Olivier & 5 Tony Awards**

Wednesday 26th February – “Lend Me A Tenor” by Ken Ludwig

On the biggest night in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, Tito Merelli, the world-famous Italian tenor, is set to perform the starring role in the opera Pagliacci. However, Tito’s late arrival, a series of hilarious mishaps and mistaken identities leaves Henry Saunders, manager of the opera company, and his nervous assistant Max to navigate the company through one catastrophe after the next.

Thursday 27th February – “Skylight” by David Hare (Please note not suitable for children)

East London school teacher Kyra Hollis is visited by Edward Sergeant and, later on the same night, his father Tom Sergeant. Kyra had been living with the Sergeant family years earlier but left after her affair with Tom was discovered by Tom’s wife, who has since died. Edward now accuses Kyra of having left him as well, as he saw her as a big sister, and he demands to know why she left his life. Shortly thereafter, Tom, a wealthy restaurateur, appears unheralded and for no apparent reason. Kyra’s less-than-glamorous lifestyle leads him to poke fun at her to the point of insult, accusing her of self-punishment. The talk turns to their relationship. It becomes clear that their chances to be rekindled rest on whether one of them can change preconceived notions of the other.

Friday 28th February – “The Blackwater Lightship” by Colm Tóibín

“When I was young, lying in bed, I used to believe that Tuskar was a man and the Blackwater Lightship was a woman and they were both sending signals to each other and to other lighthouses, like mating calls.”
It’s 90s Ireland and HIV/AIDS is still a terminal diagnosis. A sister, a mother and a grandmother, along with two friends, have come together to tend to 29-year-old Declan, who has the disease. Can this makeshift family unit face up to the illness and each other?

Saturday 1st March – “Juno and the Paycock” by Séan O’Casey  **Show starts at 7.30pm on Final Night**

Jack Boyle and his old friend Joxer Daly are two Dublin tenement dwellers who put more work into avoiding work than most do in securing it. Boyle is a fantasist who’s styled himself a Captain of the High Seas and he regales his crafty companion with maritime tales; herein lies the comedy.  Jack’s wife Juno is the breadwinner and moral powerhouse, but she can’t stop her life unravelling as she’s surrounded by a family who doesn’t deserve her. Johnny, her son, is a moral weakling who has betrayed a Republican comrade, while her daughter, Mary is vain and a poor judge of male character. Therein lies the tragedy.