Garry Keane seeks support for Gaza Red Carpet Festival

Director Garry Keane and the production team behind the award-winning documentary ‘Gaza’ have launched a GoFundMe campaign to save the Red Carpet Film Festival in Gaza.

“The Red Carpet Festival in Gaza is under threat and without support and backing, the organizers will not be able to stage this very important event again this year. The situation in Gaza is worsening by the day and local sponsors are just not there anymore. The festival is a shining light for the people of Gaza who try so hard to strive for normality and who desperately need any outlet to escape the pain and anguish they suffer constantly” - Garry Keane.

Gaza recently won the inaugural Pull Focus Award for best new Irish documentary at the Docs Ireland film festival, held in Belfast. Directors Keane and Andrew McConnell, and producer Brendan J Byrne, immediately handed over their £2,500 prize to the ailing film festival in the territory that provided the inspiration for their film. 

If you would like to donate a couple of euro to bring save the festival, click on the link to visit the GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/gaza-red-carpet-festival.

‘Gaza’ will be screened on Saturday November 9th at this year’s Allingham Festival, and if we’re lucky, we may even have a Q&A with members of the team. ‘Gaza’ is on release in selected cinemas around the country.

Looking Ahead to Allingham 2019

With just over three months to go to the Allingham Festival 2019, it’s about time we revealed a little of what the Allingham Fairies have been up to in preparation for our annual arts extravaganza!

Buncrana writer Frank Mc Guinness

This year we pay tribute to the work of Donegal writer Frank Mc Guinness (‘The Factory Girls’, ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’) with a very special event. We’re teaming up once again with the award-winning Ballyshannon Drama Society to produce Mc Guinness’s play ‘Breadman’. Set in a North East Donegal town in 1970, the play follows the antics of a breadman as his behaviour becomes more and more unusual, and the impact his behaviour has on his family.

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Annemarie Ní Churreáin will host the Wild Atlantic Writers session this year, featuring local and national writers and poets for a informal and entertaining reading. Annemarie is a poet from North West Donegal. Her poems have been published in Ireland and abroad. Some of the major publications to feature her work include Poetry Ireland Review, The Stinging Fly, The Shop and The London Magazine.

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Kevin Mc Aleer, Ireland’s leading Mindfulness comedian guru!

Ireland’s leading lama, Kevin Mc Aleer, will bring his latest show ‘Spud!’ to Ballyshannon, a hilarious meditation on Mindfulness and the importance of living in the moment. Honest! Mc Aleer, most recently spotted playing the role of ultra-boring Uncle Colm in Channel 4’s ‘Derry Girls’, has been sharing his deadpan brand of comedy with the world since the ‘80s, and we’ll be delighted to welcome him to Ballyshannon in November.

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Donegal-based film-maker Garry Keane returns to the Allingham Festival to present his award-winning documentary, ‘Gaza’, fresh from winning the Dublin Film Festival and participating in the Sundance Film Festival. Along with co-director and cinematographer Andrew Mc Connell, Keane spent over five years producing this heartfelt and beautifully shot film which focuses on the day to day lives of ordinary people living in the Gaza Strip. ‘Gaza’ will introduce the audience to the surprising and the unexpected, the unfamiliar stories that portray its true face.

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Eamonn Mc Cann will deliver this year’s Allingham Lecture.

Eamonn Mc Cann, well-known Derry politician, writer, broadcaster, human-rights and environmental activist, will deliver this year’s Allingham Lecture. Always informed, insightful and often controversial, Mc Cann’s talk promises to spark a lively and fresh discussion on various aspects of life in modern Ireland.

A perennial favourite, Tommy Graham’s History Ireland Hedge School will explore another fascinating area of local history, wth local experts contributing.

If that weren't enough, we will have the usual spectacular mix of music, kid’s workshops, arts and crafts workshops, competitions, writing workshops and much more! Stay tuned to allinghamfestival.com and our Facebook page for updates.

Allingham 2019 Fiction and Poetry Competitions Now Open

The Allingham 2019 Fiction & Poetry Competitions are now open! You can enter via our Online Entry page, or send a postal/email entry. Prizes in both categories are €300. The deadline is September 26th. For more information, visit www.allinghamfestival.com/fiction-poetry-competitions. Best of luck everyone!

'Prisoners of the Moon' - Donegal Premiere of Johnny Gogan's new film July 18th

The Allingham Arts Festival presents the Donegal premiere of 'Prisoners of the Moon', a new documentary directed by Johnny Gogan, in the Abbey Arts Centre, July 18th, followed by a Q&A with the director.

Filmmaker Johnny Gogan’s drama/creative documentary brings to life the story of Arthur Rudolph, a scientist who played a key role in NASA’s historic 1969 moon landing.

He was one of a number of Nazi rocket scientists who assisted America as they tried to win the space race. The film examines Rudolph’s work and alleged involvement in war crimes, and screens as the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing approaches.

Johnny took part in Allingham 2018 when he presented a screening and discussion on his film 'Mapmaker'.

Abbey Arts Centre

July 18th

A Taste of Ballyshannon - June 18th

Fancy a taste of Ballyshannon? Join us for a cookery demonstration by Nirvana Restaurant and Shelly's Cakes & Bakes in Kilbarron House on June 18th at 7.30pm. Not only with the chefs be local, so will all of the produce. Last year's event was a great success so we expect a good crowd again this year! Admission €10. All proceeds go towards this year’s Allingham Arts Festival.