The Love Hungry Farmer at the Island Theatre, Ballinamore

What to Expect

John B Keane’s The Love Hungry Farmer comes to the Island Theatre in Ballinamore on Sunday 6 September, performed by the Leitrim actor and writer Seamus O’Rourke. The piece grew out of Keane’s novel The Dark, later reworked for the stage, and it is a one man show built entirely around the bachelor farmer John Bosco McLane. Over the course of an evening he talks his way through the land, the loneliness and the marriages that never happened, and the humour keeps arriving right up against the harder material.

O’Rourke is from Aughavas in south Leitrim and has toured this production widely, so a Ballinamore date puts a well travelled show back on home ground. The performance is scheduled to run from 8pm to around 10pm. The theatre has a cafe/bar on site, and doors are open ahead of the start, so there is time to get settled before curtain.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Sunday 6 September 2026, 8pm start, running to roughly 10pm.
• Venue: Island Theatre, Convent Road, Aghadark, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, N41 K0D6.
• Ticket price is not published on the venue listing; book through the Island Theatre box office to confirm.
• Booking is through the Island Theatre’s online box office.
• The bar is open on the night.
• The Island Theatre runs a full autumn programme of drama, tribute concerts and variety shows alongside this date.

Getting There

The Island Theatre is on Convent Road in Ballinamore, in the centre of the county between Carrick-on-Shannon and the Cavan border, with the Shannon-Erne Waterway running through the town. Roads come in from Carrick-on-Shannon, Mohill, Carrigallen and Swanlinbar, and the town is signposted from the N4 at Carrick-on-Shannon. There is no railway station in Ballinamore; the nearest stop is Dromod on the Dublin Connolly to Sligo line, with Carrick-on-Shannon the other option. TFI Local Link runs rural bus services in this part of Leitrim, so check timetables in advance if you are not driving. Parking is available near the theatre and on the surrounding streets.