ALL-IRELAND DATES ANNOUNCED

Ballyduff Drama Group, Kilmeen and Palace Players were represented at the open draws in Athlone on Monday to allocate nights to the nine qualified groups.

First to one drawn were Palace Players with ‘Chapatti’ for the opening night (Thursday, May 5), followed (in nightly order) by Kilmeen (‘Conversations On A Homecoming’), Bunclody/ Kilmyshall (‘The Good Father’), Ballyduff DG (‘Rabbit Hole’), Butt DG (‘An Incident With Dave Cotter’), Prosperous (‘God of Carnage’), Kilrush (‘Class’), Ballyshannon (‘All My Sons’) and Dalkey (‘Eurydice’).

The confined draw took place on Sunday and resulted as follows: Friday, April 22 Camross DG (‘The Kings of the Kilburn High Road’) followed by Clann Machua (‘Sive’), Glenamaddy (‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’), Skibbereen (‘Brighton’), Kilmuckridge (‘The Playboy of the Western World’), Phoenix Players (‘The Communication Cord’), Ray Leonard Players (‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’), Newtownstewart (‘Family Plot’) and Enniskillen (‘The Night Alive’).

The Confined Finals will be held in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal from April 22-30 and the Open Finals will be played out in Athlone from May 5-14.

Pictured at the draw in the Dean Crowe Theatre, Athlone on Monday afternoon are, back l-r: Kieran Healy (Prosperous), Danny Buckley (Palace Players), Emma Jane Nulty (Dalkey), Pat Whelan (Kilrush), Bernadette Thompson (representing Shaun Byrne - Butt DG) and Christy O’Sullivan (Kilmeen). Front l-r: Kieran Tyrrell (Bunclody/Kilmyshall), Trish Keane Ballyshannon and Ger Canning (Ballyduff DG).