We were honoured to host the ADCI CBE All Ireland Confined Finals in Claremorris for an unprecedented fifth time—previously in 1981, 1992, 1997, 2014, and now 2025. It was a true delight to welcome the event back to our town once again.

We would like to express our gratitude for the tremendous help and valuable advice we received from Jessie and the entire team at Mountmellick and to our national secretary Mairead Brodrick who was aways just an email away.

Preparation & Planning

This report outlines the comprehensive preparations undertaken by our small but hardworking committee in advance of the All-Ireland Drama Confined Finals 2025. Our goal has been to ensure excellence in all aspects of our planning from logistics to community engagement and everything in between.

The final marked the culmination of months of dedication, creativity, and teamwork.

Publicity & Advertising

We made every effort to highlight and promote the festival through all available channels, from social media platforms to traditional paper and poster campaigns.

We invested a large portion of our budget with Midwest Radio, who has the second highest listenership rates in the country and the highest of any local radio station in our area.

Ticketing

We were fortunate to already have an online ticketing system in place, courtesy of our venue.

Their Box Office managed all sales and customer queries, and we are grateful for the assistance and support provided by the staff—especially Donna.

We sincerely thank her for her patience and dedication throughout the process.

This year, we also introduced a reserved seating policy for the first time.

Season tickets were available for purchase from December 24 to Feb 25, priced at 125 Euro (inclusive of the booking fee), this offered excellent value for early purchasers.

Nightly tickets went on sale on Monday, 7th April, (following the Draw) at a cost of 17.50 Euro.

We made every effort to accommodate patrons who wished to exchange or amend their bookings, and we strived to ensure a smooth, flexible, and positive booking experience for all.

Technical

Once again, we were blessed to have the expert guidance of Darragh Burke (Town Hall staff) throughout the process.

To ensure complete confidence in our facilities, we also consulted Paddy Farrelly and sought technical advice from Coman Keavney.

Extra lamps were hired just to be sure. Both generously assisted in reviewing our equipment and confirming that we were fully aligned with the Finals Protocol.

Fringe Events

At the outset, our mission was to make hosting the Finals the largest Arts Event in Mayo for 2025. With this in mind we set about creating a schedule of events throughout the town and attract interest from the wider community.

We held the following events:

• Rob Thornburgh & Band
• The Poetry of Paul Durkan with Declan Drohan
• Historical Walk of Dalton St.
• Many voices, one room – Art Exhibition
• The Westport Singers joined by SingOutwest
• Art Demonstration / Lecture with Kay Brennan
• The Castlerea Brass Band at Clare Lake
• Claremorris Camera Club Photo Exhibition
• Introduction to Classical Music with Andrew Newman
• Directing and Acting Workshop with Padraic Mcintyre
• Cleary Coyne Branch of Comhaltas Traditional Irish Music in the Square

Draw

The draw to determine the running order of the Finals was held on a sunny Sunday afternoon, 6th April, in the Studio space of our theatre.

Representatives from all finalist groups were in attendance, along with officers from the ADCI and DLI, also present was our adjudicator, Anna Walker & members of our committee.

The official draw was conducted by Liam Hannaway and Mairead Broderick, Chair and Secretary of the ADCI, respectively.

Following the draw, groups were given the opportunity to tour our venue and meet their assigned “Buddy.”

Each group received an information pack containing technical specifications of the venue, local details, and the opportunity to purchase their ticket allocation.

Attendees were invited to mingle for an hour, during which refreshments were provided by a local café just a short walk from the hall.

As no changes or swaps were requested, the original draw order remained unchanged.

Opening Night

Opening night is always a delicate balancing act—welcoming dignitaries, celebrating the drama community, and engaging our audiences.

This year, we chose to divide the event between two venues.

We began with an intimate gathering at La Casa Tapas Restaurant, where NEC officers, Drama Festival representatives, and our committee enjoyed a relaxed setting and took the opportunity to capture some official photos.

We were blessed with sunshine, and the atmosphere felt more like a holiday than an official event.

Wanting to carry that energy forward, we transitioned to the Town Hall for our Cheese & Wine reception, where the wow factor returned in full force.

Designed by Sweet Cheesus Charcuterie, the evening was a perfect fusion of food and art—and the perfect start to our festival.

Our biggest last-minute challenge came with the unexpected unavailability of our opening guest of honour, Sabina Higgins, who was unable to attend due to commitments surrounding the Pope’s funeral in Rome.

In true theatrical fashion, our Festival Director reached for the little black book of contacts—and thankfully, at very short notice, John McDwyer, the celebrated director and playwright from County Leitrim, graciously stepped in to save the day.

With warm and inspiring opening speeches from Liam Hannaway, Chairperson of the ADCI, and Edward Hayden, Chairperson of the DLI, the curtain officially rose—and our Festival was underway.

A slight delay marked the start of the evening when the first groups lighting control system froze and had to be rebooted.

Unfortunately, the issue recurred briefly during the performance. While these unexpected technical glitches were frustrating, they were handled swiftly by our tech team, and the show continued with professionalism and poise.

Festival Club

As our venue held a Theatre Licence, it was the natural choice to host our festival club on site.

To enhance the atmosphere and create a welcoming ambiance, we provided live music nightly.

This setting allowed for informal interaction between patrons and cast members alike.

Given that many of our participating groups were local to Connaught, a number of them chose to return home the same evening, resulting in varied attendance at the club each night.

Catering

As with previous festivals, we typically divide the catering responsibilities among our committee members.

We normally arrange for a local outlet to provide lunch.

The “Buddy” offers the crew a sandwich menu, allowing everyone to choose what they preferred and deliver it to the hall, tea and coffee are available throughout the day.

For their evening meal, Cast & Crew retreat to The Old Arch Restaurant.

Refreshments are served again following their nightly performance.

Sponsors & Fundraising

Discontinuation of Bostik Sponsorship: It was with both regret and surprise that we learned of Bostik’s decision to discontinue its role as the main sponsor of the event.

Prior to receiving formal notice of the termination, we had made several efforts to engage with Bostik, hoping to maintain the partnership and explore ways to move forward together.

While this news was certainly a setback, we remained confident that a solution would be found.

Once again, Peter’s little black book of contacts proved invaluable.

Thanks to his efforts, we not only secured a new main sponsor, but also gained support from several additional companies.

We are especially grateful to CBE for coming on board, and we thoroughly enjoyed working with their marketing team throughout the process.

Adjudicator

No stranger to Claremorris, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming back Anna Walker to our Festival.

A lady of immense knowledge and passion for all things Drama, her on-stage presence and insightful nightly adjudications were a real treat for our audiences.

Awards Night

Our committee felt that the traditional dinner on the opening day of the festival should be reimagined to better align with the format used in Athlone for the Open All Ireland Finals.

We opted to hold the event at the close of the festival to mark its conclusion and celebrate the winners in style.

This option was very well received, as reflected in the large turnout and strong support from all the stakeholders.

We offered each group a complimentary table of ten, along with the opportunity to purchase additional seats if desired.

The response was fantastic—every seat was filled on the night, contributing to a vibrant and memorable atmosphere.

We decided to invest resources in a digital multimedia backdrop presentation to elevate the overall experience.

We arranged a professional recording service for the award ceremony, using state-of-the-art cameras and high-quality microphones to ensure crystal-clear audio and video.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Tadhg Keady of Keady Communications Ltd, Galway, for his exceptional work in producing a seamless broadcast and expertly capturing the entire ceremony, streaming it live on our official YouTube channel, with over 800 viewers tuning in on the night.

It remains available for on-demand viewing and has since attracted 5.8 thousand views. (31July 2025)

While many heartfelt speeches and thank yous were shared, special recognition is due to two outgoing officers, Liam Hannaway Chair of the ADCI and Edward Hayden Chair of the DLI, for their exceptional guidance and dedication over the past two years leading our organisations.

The formal handover of the ADCI flag took place, and we extend our best wishes to Patricia Nugent and the Mid-Ulster Committee as they embark on their exciting plans for 2026.

Following the announcement of the results, the evening continued with a lively night of music and dancing.

Results

Conclusion

We thoroughly enjoyed hosting this year’s event and extend our very best wishes to Mid Ulster as they take the reins in 2026—putting their own unique stamp on what promises to be another fantastic festival.

Recommendations for Consideration

Review the protocols annually

Establish a Finance Committee to pursue national sponsorship partnership deals

Review the list of Host Provinces: If a province is unable to host in a given year, instead of seeking a replacement host, simply move to the next province on the hosting rotation list.

Thus avoiding this example: 2023 All Ireland was hosted by Glenamaddy, in 2025, Munster was unable to host, and Connacht (Claremorris) stepped in. However, in 2027, hosting responsibilities are due return to Connacht again as per the original rotation.

So 2023, 2025, & 2027 – all roads lead to Connaught?