17th May 2025. Ballyduff Drama Group, directed by Ger Canning, were crowned RTÉ All-Ireland Drama champions for their performance of ‘The Blackwater Lightship’ by Colm Tóibín, adapted for stage by David Horan, at the Gala Awards ceremony in Athlone’s Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday May 17th as the curtains came down on the 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival. The festival is held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI). The Awards were hosted by Nuala Carey and Simon Delaney.
Balally Players, directed by Declan Rudden, who performed ‘Ulster American’ by David Ireland, were placed second, and, Bridge Drama, directed by Susan Somers, who performed ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, were placed third.
Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of the Abbey Theatre said that the Abbey was delighted to continue their partnership with the festival. He announced that the winner of the Abbey Award for 2025 are Ballaly Players who presented ‘Ulster American’ by David Ireland and that the Abbey looked forward to hosting the group in the Peacock at the end of May.
There was great excitement when the results were announced. No strangers to Athlone, Ballyduff Drama Group has been performing on the 3 Act circuit for over forty years. During that time, they won the All-Ireland in 2004, and more recently this is their third time to win in four years (2022, 2024). ‘The Blackwater Lightship’ is set in 1990s Ireland and HIV/AIDS is still a terminal diagnosis. A sister, a mother and a grandmother, along with two friends, have come together to tend to 29-year-old Declan, who has the disease. Can this makeshift family unit face up to the illness and each other?
Ballyduff Drama Group director Ger Canning also won the Best Director award. In addition, Mary Colbert, playing Dora Devereux won the award for best actress, and Ronan Bennett as Larry took home the award for best actor in a supporting role. Ballyduff also won the award for best stage setting.
Other award winners included, Cillian Tobin, Bridge Drama, who took home the best actor award for his role as Christopher Boone in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’. Catherine Stafford, Ballycogley Players, received the award for the best actress in a supporting role for her portrayal of Maggie in ‘Lend Me A Tenor’. The award for best stage management award went to Mary O’Connor, Bridge Drama, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and the award for best stage lighting went to Mark Redmond, Bridge Drama. The Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Summer School Scholarship went to Sarah Smith, Newpoint Players for her role as the dummy in ‘Ghetto’.
New festival Director, Michael McGlone, remarked that it was a privilege for him to take on the role which comes with a massive responsibility to ensure the high standards are maintained and that finalists coming to Athlone have a rewarding experience. He thanked his committee for their contribution. ‘This year’s festival is extra special because thanks to the team in RTÉ our awards ceremony was live streamed by RTÉ. This will no doubt open up a whole new audience to the ceremony and remind everyone that amateur drama is going from strength to strength’.
This year’s adjudicator, Walker Ewart has a wealth of experience in all aspects of amateur drama since the age of 14. He was awarded an O.B.E. for ‘services to education’ in 2012 on his retirement. He is fully aware of the efforts made by the huge team of volunteers in any production. He says he has basked in, and suffered, adjudications as an actor and director and understands the sensitivities of groups who have been preparing their work for many months. He deems it an honour to adjudicate his peers in any festival. It is, however, ‘a particular honour, and an awesome responsibility, to adjudicate Athlone for the third time’. During the week he pronounced to the audience that it was ‘a great day to be alive’ after seeing many of the performances.
Commenting on the festival Walker said it was the best festival he has ever adjudicated at. This year in particular there was a stunning level of performance in every case. Speaking to Nuala Carey, RTÉ, he recalled the history of amateur drama stemming back to the work of priests going out into communities and setting up drama festivals. Amateur drama has a legacy of family to family passing down in the community. He praised the 9 finalists saying that they have all done their communities extremely proud. He gave the Adjudicator’s Award to Emma Walsh, Brideview Drama Group, for her Valerie’s speech in ‘The Weir’.
Commenting on the winning play Walker noted that Ballyduff Drama Group ‘presented a well-nigh perfect production of the Blackwater Lightship. A wonderful lived-in house, inhabited by a totally believable set of characters. The audience was drawn into the bewilderment and the tensions as the characters faced the unexpected and shocking news of the illness of a loved one. The acting was of a consistently high standard, in the majority of cases excellent portrayals. The friends who rallied round to help Declan in his suffering cared deeply for him. The final goodbye was a very moving piece of theatre. In the end, those of us who were privileged to look into this world cared for these characters. An unforgettable production.’
The plays featured in this year’s final included several amateur premieres, several adaptations for stage, a premiere of an Irish adaptation of a play. While Athlone basked in the sun, the festival audiences experienced many emotions ranging from laughing till their jaws hurt to being deeply moved and even shocked during the festival. They reported that the festival was of a particularly high standard. Excitement built over the festival in anticipation of the RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival Gala Awards which for the first time ever, were streamed live on RTÉ Culture.