The 2026 Allingham Arts Festival Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions are now open. Closing Date: September 27th 2026.
We in the Allingham Festival committee, in common with most of the population of Ballyshannon, have been shocked and disturbed at news of what has happened to our colleagues in the Rory Gallagher Festival.
Jack Lukeman is coming to Ballyshannon this November!
We're thrilled to announce Jack Lukeman (Jack L) as part of this year's Allingham Arts Festival line-up, the first of several musical acts planned for the weekend.
The award-winning singer brings his Greatest Songs Tour to the Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon, on Saturday, November 7th at 8pm. If you haven't experienced Jack live, this is your chance.
Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon | Saturday, 7th November | 8pm
New Line-Up Guests: Paul Howard | Ann Ingle | in conversation with Róisín Ingle
This November in Ballyshannon, join us for two conversations between 3 writers, two old friends and one family as writer Paul Howard (Ross O’Carroll Kelly) catches up with his old friend Róisín Ingle, before Róisín then chats to her mother Ann Ingle about her latest book on the art of growing older. Not to be missed at the Allingham Arts Festival this November in Ballyshannon, County Donegal
We expect that Elaine Feeney will prove to be a very fitting guest for all of our writing and poetry fans at the Allingham Arts Festival this November!
Author of the Year in 2025, Booker-longlisted in 2023, with three poetry collections and a play to her name, Elaine embodies the multi-disciplinary spirit of the festival.
Her most receny novel, Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way, was nominated for Novel of the Year in the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025, where she won the Author of the Year awayrd.
Her debut novel, As You Were, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Irish Novel of the Year Award, and won the Kate O’Brien Award, the McKitterick Prize and the Dalkey Festival Emerging Writer Award. How to Build a Boat was also shortlisted for Irish Novel of the Year, longlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a New Yorker Best Book of the Year.
Feeney has published the poetry collections Where’s Katie?, The Radio Was Gospel, Rise and All the Good Things You Deserve, and lectures at the University of Galway.
Here, she talks about her craft and her inspiration having just been awarded the Author of the Year award in 2025.