At Various venues, Ballyshannon · Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal
Only the published dates are confirmed for this programme.
The Allingham Festival runs in Ballyshannon from Wednesday, 4 to Sunday, 8 November 2026, spanning literature, film and performance across the town.
The Abbey Centre’s own events listing shows the festival opening on 4 November with Ballyshannon Drama Society’s production of The Wonder Wheel and a CCBS Drama, Film & Theatre Studies production, and continuing through the week with further events including You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead on 8 November. The festival takes its name from William Allingham, the Ballyshannon-born Victorian poet, and mixes literary, dramatic and musical events across the town’s venues. The Abbey Centre’s listing does not gather the full week’s programme in one place, so anyone planning to attend several events should check the centre’s site for the complete schedule.
Ballyshannon is on the N15 and N3 in south Donegal, close to the Erne estuary, roughly 6km from Bundoran, and is served by Bus Éireann routes connecting it to Donegal town, Bundoran and Sligo. The Abbey Centre on Tir Connell Street is the festival’s main hub, with other events likely spread across the town’s halls and churches as in past years.
Ballyshannon is one of Ireland’s oldest towns, rising steeply from the River Erne, and is the birthplace of the poet the festival is named after. A five-day spread over a November weekend makes it one of the town’s bigger events outside the summer season. More on Ballyshannon and Co. Donegal.
Heading to Various venues, Ballyshannon in Ballyshannon? Donegal has plenty more to see. Read the Ballyshannon area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
We do not yet have a suitable Donegal tour in our reviewed collection that starts locally. Use the IrelandMe tour finder to compare bookable experiences for the rest of your trip.