We're delighted to announce that the pre-Festival launch of the Allingham Arts Festival, 2023, will take place in the Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon on Wednesday, September 13th.
Highlight of the evening, as previously announced, will be Ballyshannon's own Sean McGinley in conversation with Allingham Committee member, Michael McMullin.
Sean will share memories of his early years in Pettigo and Ballyshannon, via student drama and the establishment of Druid Theatre Co to TV, movies and an upcoming lead role in Brian Friel's classic Translations off-Broadway.
Proceedings start from 7.30 p.m. and all are welcome.
Just over a week ago we had to share the disappointing news that Sean McGinley would not be able to be with us during this year's Allingham Festival as he would be on stage off-Broadway. This evening we have much better news.
Despite the fact that he will obviously have a very busy few weeks before leaving for New York, Sean has very kindly agreed to come to Ballyshannon to help us give an early launch to the 2023 programme. Notice is short so please help spread the word – Wednesday, September 13 is the date to mark in your diary. Exact time and venue will be announced next week.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear Sean recall his early days in Pettigo in Ballyshannon before taking the stage in Galway. Which stars of world theatre and cinema will he recall? Richard Harris or Stephen Rea? Martin Scorsese or Sam Shepard? Garry Hynes or Jim Sheridan? We can't wait to find out.
Stay tuned for further details next week.
This year’s Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Awards Ceremony will feature a new award – the Francis Harvey Award for Poetry. This annual award has been created to highlight the life and legacy of Donegal poet Francis Harvey, 1925-2014. The winner of the 2023 Allingham Poetry Competition will also be declared the winner of the Francis Harvey Award.
If you're not familiar with Francis Harvey, look into his Collected Poems. In her introduction, Moya Cannon writes that ‘...Francis Harvey’s work combines the passion for precision of a naturalist and the yearning for grace of a poet, except for the fact that a passion for precision, for naming, is also part of the bedrock of poetry. In [his] poems there is a vivid sense of how we are all moving, “free but tethered, through time’s inexorable weathers.”’
As in past years, the winner of the Allingham Flash Fiction Competition will also be declared the winner of the Keane Family Award, honouring the memory of Ballyshannon writer and arts patron James Keane.
Competition rules and entry forms for the 2023 Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions are now available and the competitions are open for entries through 22 September.
The 2023 Allingham Festival will take place on 8-12 November. Hope to see you at the Festival, and perhaps at the Awards Ceremony...
Tom Sigafoos, Event Manager,
2023 Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions
A favourite Francis Harvey poem:
“Sculptors” (In memory of Con O’Mullane)
It sits on my desk being nothing but what
I know it to be: a perfection of form.
The stone that we found washed up on the shore
at Enniscrone more than fifty years ago.
Smooth as flesh stretched over bone and shaped
so sensuously by the sea I can’t keep
my hands off it each time it catches my eye.
Like that Brancusi we saw in London once
and kept on wanting to touch and touch and touch.
(Francis Harvey, Collected Poems, Dedalus Press 2007, ISBN 978 1 904556 68 8)
This evening, unfortunately, we have to share the most disappointing news for the happiest of reasons.
We have all been looking forward to the prospect of Sean McGinley’s return to Ballyshannon for the Allingham festival, no one more so than Sean himself. However, we all knew that, given the unavoidable unpredictability of an actor’s life, something might come up to spoil the plan and so it has come to pass.
New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre have just announced their plans to stage The Friel Project, a major retrospective on the work of Brian Friel beginning with his classic Translations. Remember you read it here first that director Doug Hughes has chosen Sean to play Hugh, the old schoolmaster. This is a part created by another Donegal man with a notable body of work on stage and screen, the late Ray McAnally. (Indeed, he played the part right here in Ballyshannon, alongside our mutual friend, Stephen Rea) The production is slated to run off-Broadway from mid-October to December which, unfortunately, runs right across our dates. While disappointed, of course, we are comforted by our pride and delight in seeing yet another highlight in Sean’s illustrious career. As for the Allingham festival, we hope and confidently expect that “there will be another day”.
One of the many events we are looking forward to in the afternoon of Saturday, November 11th, is this short documentary from the Drumhome Heritage Society.
It explores the rich History and Heritage of the ancient parish of Drumhome, Ballintra through a script written by storyteller Keith Corcoran with a cast of local actors. It was filmed and directed in 2020 by Peter Mullaney of Mullaney Media and should be of great interest to film buffs and local historians alike.
Following the 20 minute showing in the Abbey Arts Centre, there will be a Question and Answer session led by Peter Mullaney and Keith Corcoran.
The final programme for the festival is now nearing completion so do watch out for further details.