Blood in the Alley Theatre Company in association with Cork County Council and The Arts Council presents
West Cork
7th July - 2nd August 2026
One of Ireland’s favourite summertime theatre festivals returns with four weeks of exceptional theatre across
West Cork and ten days of unmissable performances in Ballydehob.
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 *Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
All tickets on the door
(unless stated otherwise)
Island Performances
Ferry not included in the ticket price.
All Ferries leave at 7PM
and return that evening
at 10PM.
Ballydehob Shows
Pre-booked shows booked through
Bridie at the Ballydehob Post Office
Tel: 028 37110
Limited availability so please arrive early. Doors open 30 minutes before performance commences.
*Note - Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays.
WEEK 1 · 7th to 12th July · Mary’s Hopes & Dreams
Mary’s Hopes and Dreams
Presented by Hubcap Theatre
Written, Directed, and Performed by Michael Ryan & Seán Kelleher
Age Suitability: 14+ | Running Time: 85 min | No Interval
After performing ‘The Parish’ in over 70 venues nationwide, the boys return with ‘Mary’s Hopes and Dreams.’ A delightful comedy about life in a rural community.
The story unfolds with a large cast of colourful characters including cattle dealers, tennis players, greyhound trainers, 80’s Pop Stars and the much loved Two Mary’s!
Using Hubcap’s unique brand of visual comedy and characterisation, the audience will delight in madcap moments of slapstick, rap, mime, song, dance, martial arts and swimming!
Dates & Venues
Tuesday 7th July · 8pm · Island Cottage, Heir Island
Wednesday 8th July · 8pm · Kilcrohane Community Hall
Thursday 9th July · 8pm · Glengarriff Community Hall
Friday 10th July · 8pm · Bank House, Whiddy Island
Saturday 11th July · 8pm · Lecture Theatre, Bere Island
Sunday 12th July · 8pm · Ballydehob Community Hall
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
Island Performances
Ferry not included in the ticket price.
Ferries leave at 7PM and return that evening at 10PM.
WEEK 2 · 14th to 19th July · Word Against The Word
Word Against The Word
Written and Performed by Keith Dunphy
Directed by Aoife Monks
Age Suitability: 14+ | Running Time: 70 min | No Interval
“An insight into a different world”
Keith left Waterford in 1996 to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art in London. Funded by his hometown, he dreams of performing Shakespeare in his own accent.
Word Against The Word is a one-man play exploring how a working-class Irish actor with dyslexia navigates show business, hoping but never knowing if he’ll ever get to play the king that once visited Waterford – Richard II.
The play weaves through Keith’s relationship with his nationality,
dyslexia and classical theatre. It sets his life growing up and becoming an actor while still unable to read, against Richard’s speech as he sailed up the River Suir in 1399.
Dates & Venues
Tuesday 14th July · 8pm · Glengarriff Community Hall
Wednesday 15th July · 8pm · Kilcrohane Community Hall
Thursday 16th July · 8pm · Timoleague Community Hall
Friday 17th July · 8pm · Sherkin Community Hall
Saturday 18th July · 8pm · Lecture Theatre, Bere Island
Sunday 19th July · 8pm · Ballydehob Community Hall
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
Island Performances
Ferry not included in the ticket price.
Ferries leave at 7PM and return that evening at 10PM.
WEEK 3 · 21st to 26th July · Catalpa
Catalpa
Presented by Blood in the Alley Productions
Written by Donal O’Kelly
Directed by Geoff Gould
Performed by Andrew Musselman
Age Suitability: 14+ | Running Time: 80 mins | No Interval
The 150 Anniversary of The Catalpa Rescue
The award-winning play Catalpa follows the true story of a band of
Fenians and their audacious prison break from the colonial prison in
Freemantle, Australia.
While the story takes place in 1875, we see it unfold through the eyes of Mathew Kidd, a present-day screenwriter whose lifelong dream is to make a movie based on the rescue mission.
Full of intrigue, suspense and a tour-de-force solo performance in which one actor plays over twenty different characters, Catalpa is a theatrical thrill ride!
Dates & Venues
Tuesday 21st July · 8pm · Island Cottage, Heir Island
Wednesday 22nd July · 8pm · Kilcrohane Community Hall
Thursday 23rd July · 8pm · Timoleague Community Hall
Friday 24th July · 8pm · Sherkin Community Hall
Saturday 25th July · 8pm · Lecture Theatre, Bere Island
Sunday 26th July · 8pm · Ballydehob Community Hall
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
Island Performances
Ferry not included in the ticket price.
Ferries leave at 7PM and return that evening at 10PM.
WEEK 4 · 28th July to 1st August · Synapses
Synapses
Presented by Gúna Nua Theatre
Written by Liam Wilson Smyth
Directed by Paul Meade
Performed by Liam Wilson Smyth, Molly Downey
Age Suitability: 14+ | Running Time: 60 mins | No Interval
Gúna Nua Theatre returns with SYNAPSES: a play about Love, Memory, and the Romance of Parenting.
In this fast-paced comedy drama, two young parents mine the past
for the key to their future. Mike and Emily separated a year ago and
constantly row about money, access, and parenting styles.
One fateful afternoon, for the sake of their young son, they must find a better way. It all goes wrong, it all goes right, and an electrical fault spins them through time in search of the truth.
“Open, honest… leaving you feeling you’ve stepped inside their lives.” – Irish Independent
Dates & Venues
Tuesday 28th July · 8pm · Bank House, Whiddy Island
Wednesday 29th July · 8pm · Kilcrohane Community Hall
Thursday 30th July · 8pm · Timoleague Community Hall
Friday 31st July · 8pm · Drimoleague Community Hall
Saturday 1st August · 8pm · Lecture Theatre, Bere Island
Sunday 2nd August · 12pm · Outside Ballydehob Hall
(weather permitting) The Wobbly Circus (free entry)
The Wobbly Circus show includes juggling, clowning and plenty of audience participation. Age Suitability: All Ages | Running Time: 30min
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
Island Performances
Ferry not included in the ticket price.
Ferries leave at 7PM and return that evening at 10PM.
All Performances in Ballydehob Hall unless otherwise stated.
24th & 25th July · The Love Hungry Farmer
The Love Hungry Farmer
Presented by CTD City Theatre Dublin
Through arrangement with Mercier Press
John B Keane’s The Love Hungry Farmer
Adapted for stage and performed by Seamus O’Rourke
Directed by Michael Scott
Age Suitability: 15+ | Running Time: 90 min | No Interval
John Bosco McLaine is a man who has never lain down with a woman, but has had romantic blood pulsing through his veins all his life.
Always an optimist, and virgin in equal measure, he sets out in search of an ideal companion, regardless of age, failure rate or advice. In a community where advice is plentiful and women are few, he follows his heart in an ultimate bid to find himself a wife.
Dates & Venues
Friday 24th July · 8pm · Ballydehob Hall
Saturday 25th July · 8pm · Ballydehob Hall
Tickets
€20 plus booking fee
Booking
Tickets can only be purchased from Bridie at Ballydehob Post Office.
Tel: 028 37110
25th & 26th July · Nothing But An Aul' Weed
Nothing But An Aul’ Weed
Presented by Big Guerilla Productions
Written and performed by Fiona Maria Fitzpatrick
Directed by Seamus O’Rourke
Age Suitability: 15+ | Running Time: 60 min | No Interval
Set amidst the dark and dirty wastelands of the mind, a woman picks her way through the debris in search of hope, or some shite like that.
She has run out of answers and dreams, but knows she must keep sifting to find something. God, Granny and the Dog are all watching and waiting. Can she recall and reclaim the lost bones of her past? Find a new stick to chew on? And what might be stirred up in the process?
A gritty but witty story. Contains strong flowery language.
Dates & Venues
Saturday 25th July · 4pm · Ballydehob Hall
Sunday 26th July · 4pm · Ballydehob Hall
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
27th & 28th July · Connemarvellous
Connemarvellous
Written and performed by Bláthnaid Daly
Directed by Gene Rooney
Age Suitability: 12+ | Running Time: 60 mins | No Interval
Connemarvellous is a fast-moving bilingual comedy about a teenager’s first reluctant trip to the Gaeltacht.
When her parents abandon her for a foreign holiday, she finds herself trapped between céilís, cúpla focail and an unexpected enemy from home.
Packed with sharp observations, wry humour and playful code-switching, Connemarvellous explores the joys and mortifications of growing up Irish and learning to survive the Irish language and your peers. Following a sold-out run at Scene + Heard, expect an evening full of Gaeilge, giggles and glorious teenage chaos.
Dates & Venues
Monday 27th July · 7pm · Ballydehob Hall
Tuesday 28th July · 7pm · Ballydehob Hall
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
29th & 30th July · Stitch
Stitch
Written and performed by Irene Kelleher
Directed by Regina Crowley
Age Suitability: 16+ | Running Time: 60 mins | No Interval
Alice is in the basement for seven months. Mending, stitching and repair. Rip, cut, stitch.
“Nothing’s broken can’t be fixed.”
Sinister, unsettling and atmospheric, this haunting off-site play is not for the faint of heart. For those who dare, Stitch promises an unforgettable theatrical experience.
At its heart, this is a story about duality, the destroyer and the creator that live within us all. How the same hand can both harm and heal.
Dates & Venues
Wednesday 29th July · 7pm · Ameliah’s Coffee Shop, Main Street, Ballydehob
Thursday 30th July · 2pm · Ameliah’s Coffee Shop, Main Street, Ballydehob
Thursday 30th July · 7pm · Ameliah’s Coffee Shop, Main Street, Ballydehob
Tickets
€17.50 plus booking fee
Booking
Tickets can only be purchased from Bridie at Ballydehob Post Office.
Tel: 028 37110
Please Note
Limited capacity.
31st July to 2nd August · 1975 | Naoi Déag Seachtó Cúig
1975 | Naoi Déag Seachtó Cúig
Presented by Teaċ Daṁsa
Age Suitability: 12+ | Running Time: 60 mins | No Interval
Set to the iconic 1975 album by Irish traditional group The Bothy Band, 1975 | Naoi Déag Seachtó Cúig is a dance and theatre performance ritual where music and movement merge as one.
In this new dance-theatre work, choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan brings together five exceptional dancers to honour, remember and be inspired by a visionary cultural happening in dark and challenging times.
Dates & Venues
Friday 31st July · 8pm · Ballydehob Hall
Saturday 1st August · 8pm · Ballydehob Hall
Sunday 2nd August · 8pm · Ballydehob Hall
Tickets
€30 plus booking fee
Booking
Tickets can only be purchased from Bridie at Ballydehob Post Office.
Tel: 028 37110
Please Note
100 tickets maximum per performance.
1st & 2nd August · Missing
Missing
Directed, performed and scripted by Tara Brandel
Age Suitability: 12+ | Running Time: 40 mins | No Interval
Missing explores pivotal women who have been erased from history as Europe became dramatically more right wing in the 1930s.
The work considers Margaret Skinnider, who led a battalion of men in the 1916 Uprising; Bronislava Nijinska, sister to Nijinsky; and Irene Polo, a journalist in the Spanish Civil War.
What is the notion of erasure? How does it impact people’s lives? And could there be parallels between then and now?
Dates & Venues
Saturday 1st August · 3pm · Ballydehob Hall
Sunday 2nd August · 3pm · Ballydehob Hall
Tickets
€17.50 Single Ticket
€60 Family Ticket (2 adults 2 teens)
Note – Family Ticket does not include pre-booked plays
All tickets on the door (unless stated otherwise)
Info
Missing is supported by Cork County
Arts, Seeding the County, Dance Ireland,
Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Dance Base
Edinburgh, Tramway Glasgow and the Irish
Consul in Scotland.
2nd August · The Wobbly Circus
The Wobbly Circus
Directed, performed and scripted by Tara Brandel
Age Suitability: All Ages | Running Time: 30 mins
The Wobbly Circus show includes juggling, clowning and plenty of audience participation.
Dates & Venues
Sunday 2nd August · 12pm · Outside Ballydehob Hall
Weather permitting
Tickets
Free entry
20th July - 1st August · Exhibition of Paintings by Scott O’Sullivan
Exhibition of Paintings by Scott O’Sullivan
An exhibition of paintings by Irish artist Scott O’Sullivan
Scott O’Sullivan is a painter from Cork, Ireland. Based in Waterford and Bangkok, he has developed a notable practice, exhibiting his work both nationally and internationally, including in Ireland, the US, Korea and South East Asia.
O’Sullivan has been honoured with the Agility Award from the Arts Council. He is also co-director of Hechyeomoyeo, an international art collective originally formed in South Korea, and a member of Sample-Studios in Cork City.
Dates & Venues
Monday 20th July to Saturday 1st August
Aisling Gallery, Rosie’s Bar, Ballydehob
Tickets
Free entry
Welcome to the Fit-Up Theatre Festival 2026.
You can download the full festival programme below.
For news, announcements and festival updates, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FitupTheatreFestival
