WHAT’S ON
A town transformed by creativity, culture and connection.
Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, Ireland
Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival – Multi-Disciplinary Arts & Culture Week
The Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival is a dynamic multi-disciplinary arts festival that brings together outstanding creative talent in the heart of Ballaghaderreen. Designed to celebrate and develop artistic expression across a wide range of disciplines, the festival offers an engaging programme that appeals to all ages and interests.
A key feature of the festival is its diverse range of workshops, including painting, creative arts and circus skills, providing hands-on opportunities for participants to explore their creativity. In addition, this year introduces a major new focus with a dedicated full day on Economics and Climate Change, featuring a series of lectures from international experts, offering a thought-provoking intersection of global issues and the arts.
Music and performance play a central role in the festival. A professional director will work with the Ballaghaderreen Players amateur dramatic group, raising the standard of local theatre production. A local choir will perform alongside the acclaimed Celtic Tenors, while a special children’s opera will bring together professional musicians and singers with local children in a unique collaborative performance.
Visual arts are also strongly represented, with an Emerging Artists Exhibition hosted in the newly opened library. Local artists will showcase their work in shop windows across the town, as well as in a permanent exhibition space at the Phoenix Centre, creating a town-wide celebration of creativity.
Throughout the week, audiences can also enjoy a series of one-act plays performed in various locations, bringing theatre into unexpected and intimate spaces across Ballaghaderreen.
The festival transforms the town into a vibrant cultural hub, blending local participation with international talent, and offering a rich programme that celebrates creativity, community and artistic collaboration.
