At IFA Centre · IFA Centre, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
The Wake is a comedy by Adrienne Murphy staged over three nights at the IFA Centre in Enniscorthy, with all proceeds going to Hope Cancer Support Centre in the town. It is built around the oldest set piece in Irish social life, the house wake, and mines it for what the organisers describe as secrets, stories, songs, scandals and shenanigans: the relatives who turn up, the ones who do not, and everything that gets said in the kitchen once the front room empties out.
This is a locally produced fundraiser rather than a touring show, and the money raised stays in the county. Hope Cancer Support Centre is an Enniscorthy-based service offering free support to people affected by cancer and to their families, including counselling and complementary therapies, and it depends on local fundraising of exactly this kind. Runs of this sort in Enniscorthy tend to sell on word of mouth and through the organisers directly, so contacting them ahead of the night is the surest way to get seats, particularly for the Friday and Saturday performances.
Enniscorthy sits on the River Slaney in central County Wexford, about 20km north of Wexford Town on the M11. It is on the Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort railway line, with the station on the east bank of the river, and Bus Eireann routes link it to Wexford, Gorey, New Ross and Waterford. If you are driving from Dublin, allow around an hour and three quarters on the M11. Town-centre parking is available around the Abbey Square and Market Square area; check the signage for evening restrictions on the night.
Heading to IFA Centre in Enniscorthy? Wexford has plenty more to see. Read the Enniscorthy area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.