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festivals · Friday 6 November 2026 · 7:00pm 
Cavan One Act Drama Festival
At Townhall Arts Centre · Townhall Street, Cavan, Co. Cavan
Part of a recurring programme
Only the published dates are confirmed for this programme.
At Townhall Arts Centre · Townhall Street, Cavan, Co. Cavan
Only the published dates are confirmed for this programme.
Drama groups from all over Ireland bring their best one-act plays to Cavan for the Cavan One Act Drama Festival, running at Townhall Arts Centre from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026. It is one of three annual drama festivals held in the county (alongside Shercock and Maudabawn) and forms part of the wider All-Island Amateur Drama Circuit.
Each session brings three one-act plays to the stage, ranging across comedy, tragedy and high drama, so no two nights look alike. Every group taking part is aiming for a place at the National Finals in An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny in December 2026, which keeps the standard on stage high across the whole weekend. This year’s adjudicator is Paddy Farrelly, an experienced voice on the amateur drama circuit, who gives an assessment after each session, an element regular festival-goers rate as highly as the plays themselves. Sunday’s matinee performance is followed by the festival’s final adjudication, when the overall placings are announced.
Performances run Friday and Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 3pm. The venue’s bar stays open around the sessions, and post-show debate over the adjudicator’s calls is as much a part of the weekend as the plays.
Townhall Arts Centre is on Townhall Street in the centre of Cavan town, within walking distance of Main Street and the town’s central car parks. Cavan town is roughly 90 minutes from Dublin via the N3, with Bus Éireann running regular coaches from Dublin Busáras.
Townhall Street sits in the middle of Cavan town’s shops and restaurants, easy to combine with dinner before an evening session. There is more to see in Cavan and across Co. Cavan.
Heading to Townhall Arts Centre in Cavan? Cavan has plenty more to see. Read the Cavan area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
We do not yet have a suitable Cavan tour in our reviewed collection that starts locally. Use the IrelandMe tour finder to compare bookable experiences for the rest of your trip.