RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival 2014

This is the 62nd RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival and the 11th year of RTÉ's involvement as title sponsor. 

Beginning on Thursday 1st May in the Dean Crowe Theatre Athlone, under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI), the nine-day festival will see the top nine amateur drama groups, nationally, compete for the All-Ireland title as well as a number of other major acting and technical awards.  

RTÉ will be at the Festival from beginning to end with daily updates across RTÉ Radio 1 on The John Murray Show, Today with Sean O'Rourke, The Ronan Collins Show, Mooney, Liveline, Drivetime, Late Date, Arena, CountryWide, Sunday with Miriam and Drama on One. 

For the first time in the Festival’s 62-year career, a carefully-devised mentor scheme pairs nine of RTÉ’s well-known faces and voices with this year’s finalists. Each mentor will offer support to their respective drama group, in the hope that it will be the one to perform the winning play in front of the thousands of visitors the Festival attracts. The nine mentors are; Miriam O’Callaghan, Derek Mooney, John Murray, Damien O’Reilly, Ronan Collins, Joe Duffy, Mary Wilson, Seán O’Rourke and Seán Rocks. 

24th April - Drivetime's Brian Lally visits Thurles Drama Group in Co. Tipperary ahead of their performance of 'A view from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller in the Dean Crowe Theatre on 6th May. 

28th April - Mooney will be supporting the Ballyduff Drama Group, from Co. Waterford, at the All Ireland Drama Festival. Feargus visited the group at rehearsals for 'The Curse Of The Starving Class' by Sam Shepard which will open the Festival on 1st May.

30th April - Colm Flynn from The John Murray Show caught up with some members of Ballyshannon Drama Society and John spoke with Ann McHugh, Director of the Ballyshannon Drama Society.ahead of their performance of 'Gingerbread Lady' by Neil Simon.

1st May - The Mooney Show is reporting from Athlone ahead of the opening night of the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival. The group they are mentoring, Ballyduff Drama Group, is the first of the nine groups to perform.  

2nd May - As the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival continues in Athlone, Liveline ‘Funny Friday’ was broadcast live from the Radisson Blu in the town. 

3rd May - Countrywide’s Damien O’Reilly gets behind Cornmill Theatre Group from Leitrim ahead of their performance of Irish play Devil’s Ceili. 

4th May - Miriam spoke to Jenny Bracken from Nenagh Players in advance of their performance of ‘Outgoing Tide’ by Bruce Graham.

5th May - Ronan speaks to Barbara Sheridan, Director of the ‘Steward of Christendom’ by Sebastian Barry, performed by The Moat Club from Co. Kildare.

6th May - Sean Rocks talks to members of the Prosperous Dramatic Society after their performance of ‘Boeing Boeing’ as part of the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival 2014.

9th May - Sean O’Rourke talks to Paul Walsh Director of Wexford Drama Group ahead of their performance of ‘Other Desert Cities’ by Jon Robin Baitz. 

RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival 2014 Finalists