As the clock ticks down to the Grand Opening of Allingham 2025 you can expect a flurry of reminders of wonderful elements in this year's program.
Where better to start than Opening night, Wednesday November, 5th? Ballyshannon Samba band will kick things off in style as they have done for several years, outside the Abbey Arts Centre before Donegal Arts Officer, Traolach Ó Fionnáin performs the official opening.
This will be followed by the much-anticipated Allingham Lecture, Age of Chaos: The New World Order. This will see the return to Ballyshannon of Nelofer Pazira, the Afghan-Canadian author, journalist and filmmaker who last year lit up the Abbey as guest of the Fifth Court podcast. Those who were present will need no reminding of her eloquent insights into the history and current state of affairs in the Middle East. Much has happened in the interim but how much has changed? This will be an enthralling evening. If your appetite needs to be further whetted, check out this column by Nelofer, recently published in the Sunday Independent discussing October 7th, two years on.
