Dancing at Lughnasa

The Ballaghaderreen Players are thrilled to return this year to the Hawk’s Well Theatre with a play widely considered the crown jewel of contemporary Irish theatre: Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa.

Set in the fictional town of Ballybeg Co. Donegal in 1936 it is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator. He recounts the summer in his aunts' cottage when he was seven years old.
This unforgettable summer brings the possibility of joy, dance and love to these extraordinary, ordinary women.

Brian Friel’s moving and timeless masterpiece about family, home, belonging and the sweeping tides of industrial change.

The Ballaghaderreen Players were reformed in 2023 with local theatre maker Julie Sharkey as director, to coincide with the inaugural Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival. They are committed to creating high quality productions of Ireland’s great plays, while making sure the process is every bit as enjoyable as the performance itself. To date, they have performed and toured Big Maggie (2023), The Cripple of Inishmaan (2024), The Field (2025). This year, it’s the turn of the beautiful play Dancing at Lughnasa.

They are delighted to be returning to the Hawk’s Well Theatre and hope you enjoy the show.