All Ireland Confined Amateur Drama Finals Set for Carrickmore in April 2026

The Mid Ulster Drama Festival Committee recently held the official launch of the upcoming All Ireland Confined Amateur Drama Finals, which will take place in April 2026. Supported by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, the event was formally launched with the attendance of the Council Chair, Cllr Barry McElduff, who joined organisers in marking the beginning of preparations for this prestigious festival, held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI).

The Finals will bring the very best of Irish amateur theatre to the Patrician Hall, Carrickmore, for a week of outstanding performances and community celebration.

As a result, the Mid Ulster Drama Festival will pause for 2026 and will return in March 2027, allowing the local organising committee to focus fully on delivering a successful All Ireland Finals.

The full programme for the 2026 All Ireland Confined Amateur Drama Finals will be confirmed at the end of March 2026, following the conclusion of 35 regional festivals held across the island of Ireland. From these, nine top qualifying groups will earn their place to perform in Carrickmore.

Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Barry McElduff said:

”I am truly delighted that Carrickmore is to host this year’s All Ireland Confined Amateur Drama Finals. It is a source of great pride for our area and our local community. The Festival has long been a platform for showcasing the dedication and skill of amateur drama groups from all over Ireland. I want to commend The Mid Ulster Festival Director, Patricia Nugent and her team for their achievements to date.

Drama Festivals at The Patrician have been a real constant in all our lives locally, including my own. It is also very positive that our Council (FODC) is able to support events such as this which enrich cultural life and contribute so much to our district. I, for one, am looking forward with great excitement. This is great for the vitality of our rural community.”

Chair of Mid Ulster Drama Festival Organising Committee, James Warnock, commented:

“On behalf of the committee of the Mid-Ulster Festival of Amateur Drama, I extend a very warm welcome to all attending the All-Ireland Confined Finals in Carrickmore this April. We are very proud to be hosting this prestigious event again, having hosted it before in 1995, the first time ever that these Finals were held in Ulster.

We look forward to nine nights of amazing shows from groups across the island of Ireland who have qualified as a result of competing in preliminary festivals.

We would like to thank the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and local businesses including our main sponsor Nugent’s Corner Bar for their support.

‘The Patrician’ will become the hub of amateur drama in eight weeks’ time and I can confidently say that a big ‘Cead Mile Failte’ awaits you all here in Co. Tyrone.”

A spokesperson for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said:

“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to fund the All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals 2026, through the National Lottery Project Funding Programme. The finals are being hosted in partnership by the Mid Ulster Festival of Amateur Drama and Mid Ulster Community and Arts Trust Ltd., in a rural area where amateur drama has been a beacon of artistic excellence, community participation and cultural exchange for over 60 years.

This year’s festival venue will be held at The Patrician in Carrickmore – an iconic stage that has attracted writers and actors of global acclaim, from Seamus Heaney and Liam Neeson to Stephen Rea, and many others during the venue’s showband era and long tradition of theatrical performance.

May this year’s All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals be as successful as the many editions that have preceded it. I wish the Mid Ulster Festival of Amateur Drama and Mid Ulster Community and Arts Trust Ltd., together with their committees, volunteers, artists, audiences and supporters, a truly enjoyable festival.”

Sadhbh Grimes, Finance Director, Nugent’s Corner Bar commented,

”On behalf of Nugent’s Corner Bar, we are immensely proud to support the Mid Ulster Drama Festival in hosting the All Ireland Confined Drama Finals, returning to the area for the first time in 30 years and only the second time in its history.

This is a remarkable opportunity to showcase our area, our vibrant local community, and the spirit of the Mid Ulster people; a spirit that truly defines who we are and what we are proud to call home. Drama and theatre has always been at the heart of cultural progress, and we are delighted to support an initiative dedicated to promoting theatrical excellence and nurturing emerging talent. This promises to be an outstanding event, one that will leave a lasting impression and certainly not one to be missed.”

Further updates will be available at www.patrician.ie and via Facebook at @MidUlsterDramaFestival.