'We hope it will make the difference for our audiences'
The Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival committee is delighted to announce that, though much smaller numbers will have access to Nenagh Arts Centre due to Covid-19 restrictions, its loyal followers need not miss out on one minute of this year’s festival!
The virtual festival software installed in Nenagh Arts Centre means that those who are unable to secure a ticket for the live events being staged by the festival will be able to view them, as live, 24 hours later, for a fee of €5, in the comfort of their own home, simply by logging on to the Arts Centre website. Seats for all the events being held in Nenagh Arts Centre are now available for booking in Nenagh Arts Centre in person, by phone or online, but are limited this year, as is the programme for the festival, due to Covid-19. However, the Festival Committee is delighted that the many followers of the festival will be able to enjoy the events nonetheless.
"We are very pleased to be able to stage a number of events this year, despite the restrictions, but we are very aware that many of the festival’s followers will be unable to attend in person. The initiative by the Arts Centre in making events available to view, so soon afterwards, is really welcome and we hope it will make the difference for our audiences. I really would like to acknowledge the hard work done by Eva Birdthistle and her staff, to ensure the survival of the arts sector in general, and by giving us virtual access to our audience,” said Geraldine McNulty, Festival Chairperson.
Eva Birdthistle, Artistic Director of the Arts Centre, said there is no limit on the numbers of people who can access the event and she hopes it will contribute to ensuring that the growing following of the Festival can be maintained during this very strange year, when many festivals have been cancelled or have gone online without any live events.
The full programme is available to view on the Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival website, www.dnlf.ie but bookings can only be made through Nenagh Arts Centre. As seating is now arranged in groups of four, bookings can only be made in groups of four.
The Festival opens on Thursday night, October 1st, with 'Mystery, Thrills and Suspense', when three of Ireland’s most talented contemporary crime writers, Liz Nugent, Jo Spain and Catherine Ryan Howard will be interviewed by Rick O’Shea.
The Friday night event, 'From Page to Stage', will feature local internationally acclaimed writer Donal Ryan and celebrated director and Nenagh man Andrew Flynn discussing the adaptation by Andrew of Donal’s novel 'The Thing About December' for the stage. Members of Decadent Theatre Company will perform three scenes from the play.
In an event on Saturday afternoon to commemorate Nenagh 800, members of the Nenagh Players will perform scenes from local writer Jim Minogue’s play ‘Trainees'. The scenes deal with the fate of the Cormack brothers, who were hanged in 1858 at the gatehouse of the former County Gaol, which is now the Nenagh District Heritage Centre. There will also be a talk of the history of the building. The event will be held in the Heritage Centre.
Saturday night sees three poets turned novelists take the stage at the Nenagh Arts Centre in an event titled 'Guests from the West'. Alan McMonagle will be joined by Elaine Feeney and Alice Lyons, who have both published novels for the first time this year. They will be interviewed by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald in a return visit to the Festival. Sarah interviewed novelist Niamh Boyce in Nenagh Castle last year in a memorable Sunday afternoon event.
The final event of this year’s festival, 'Tea and Cake with Jane Austen', will take place on Sunday, October 4th, in Ashley Park House with novelist Rose Servitova and costume historian Melissa Shiels. Rose completed an unfinished Jane Austen manuscript and it became 'The Watsons' and has been celebrated by Austen fans all over the world. Melissa Shiels will bring the period to life with her recreations of the major fashions that were in vogue during the life and times of Jane Austen. There will be two performances of this event. The first performance will commence at 2pm and the final performance at 4pm.
All events are by ticket entry only. Social distancing will apply, masks must be worn and you’ll be directed to your seat by staff. Patrons are asked to come early and not to travel if they are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19.