Ken O'Sullivan: Stories From The Sea

What to Expect

Ken O’Sullivan is the wildlife filmmaker behind more than twenty natural history documentaries for RTE, including the series North Atlantic, which the BBC has broadcast in over thirty countries. Stories From The Sea is his live show: film pieces from his own archive played on the big screen, with O’Sullivan on stage between them telling the story of how each one was shot. It runs at Riverbank Arts Centre on Friday 30 October 2026 at 8pm and lasts about 75 minutes.

The material covers twenty five years of filming in the North Atlantic and the seas around Ireland, including encounters with killer whales, dolphins and the large whales that pass along the Irish shelf. O’Sullivan also draws on his own background: his family have been on Fenit Island in County Kerry for around 250 years, and the maritime line runs through the work. The evening does not shy away from the state of the water either, taking in the conservation pressures now bearing on Irish marine ecosystems. Tickets are €18.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Friday 30 October 2026, 8pm. Running time approximately 75 minutes.
• Venue: Riverbank Arts Centre, Main Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare W12 D962.
• Tickets: €18, booked through Riverbank’s Ticketsolve box office.
• Format: filmed sequences from O’Sullivan’s documentary work presented live with spoken narrative.
• Box office: 045 448327 or boxoffice@riverbank.ie.
• The same weekend at Riverbank also carries The Last Witch Bridget Cleary on Saturday 31 October at 8pm.

Getting There

Riverbank Arts Centre sits on Main Street in Newbridge town centre. Drivers should leave the M7 at junction 12 and follow signs for Newbridge; town car parks and on street parking are a short walk away and are quiet by an 8pm start. Newbridge railway station is about ten minutes on foot and is served by the Dublin Heuston line towards Kildare, Portlaoise and Waterford, so the show is doable as a return trip from Dublin or from the Kildare and Athy side of the county. Bus Eireann and Dublin Coach both stop in Newbridge on the M7 corridor.