The Bard in the Quarter Festival events selling out fast
The Carrick-on-Suir festival celebrating the works of William Shakespeare takes place from August 14 to 16
Four of the events lined up for The Bard in the Quarter Festival in Carrick-on-Suir are sold out, and the organisers are advising the public to book tickets now for the remaining two headline theatre productions as only a limited number are still available.
The three-day festival of theatre, folklore, music, visual art and storytelling celebrating William Shakespeare's works forms part of Cultúr 2026 – Ireland's EU Presidency Culture Programme. It runs from August 14-16.
It is being organised by Carrick-on-Suir's Tudor Artisan Hub collective of artists in partnership with Ormond Castle (OPW), Brewery Lane Theatre and the Strand Theatre/Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society.
For the first time in Carrick-on-Suir, audiences will experience two specially created 60-minute Shakespeare trilogies of vignettes, showcasing some of the Bard's most celebrated comedies and tragedies through dynamic, accessible performances by a local cast.
Linda Fahy of the Tudor Artisan Hub said the journey began at the end of June with an intensive foundation workshop for participants led by Cathal Quinn, one of Ireland's leading voice and dialect coaches, renowned for teaching and directing classical texts, including the works of Shakespeare.
Working with the cast, Quinn helped unlock the rhythm, meaning and accessibility of Shakespeare's language, laying the foundations for weeks of rehearsals that followed.
For many of the performers, this has been their first opportunity to perform Shakespeare since studying his plays at school, making the productions not only a celebration of the Bard, but also a celebration of the remarkable talent emerging from Carrick-on-Suir's Ormond Castle Cultural Quarter.
Writer, educator and presenter of Shakespeare Surprises, Margaret O'Brien, has watched that journey unfold.
"The enthusiasm and energy of everyone involved is contagious. Audiences are going to love The Bard in the Quarter."
The festival opens on Friday, August 14 with The Citizen's Comedy – The Bard's Trilogy of Merriments, directed by Suzanne Shine, at Christy's Bar in the Strand Theatre at 8.15pm.
This lively, fast-paced 60-minute production brings together hilarious scenes from Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors, celebrating mistaken identities, romance, wit and glorious comic confusion in an entertaining and accessible evening of theatre.
On Saturday, August 15, audiences are invited to experience The Human Condition – The Bard's Trilogy of Dark Cameos, directed by Barry Comerford and Maria Clancy, at Brewery Lane Theatre at 8pm.
Performed in the intimate surroundings of Brewery Lane Theatre, this atmospheric black-box production draws together compelling scenes from Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet and Othello, exploring ambition, love, jealousy and betrayal through some of Shakespeare's most powerful writing.
Linda said demand for The Bard in the Quarter events has exceeded all expectations, with every event taking place at Ormond Castle now fully booked.
This includes Shakespeare Surprises, A Time Traveller's Guide to Shakespeare’s Theatre, The Empty Tunic: Echoes Across Waters and the festival's spectacular outdoor finale, A Midsummer Night's Dream: The Reimagined Folklore Cut, directed by Enda O'Driscoll.
With the castle events now booked out, organisers are encouraging audiences to act quickly to secure one of the remaining seats for the festival's two headline theatre performances – The Citizen's Comedy and The Human Condition. Tickets cost €15.
Book online for The Citizen's Comedy at ticketsource.com/tudor-artisan-hub or telephone 086 2560609 and for The Human Condition at ticketsource.com/brewery-lane-theatre
If your preferred event is fully booked, you can join the priority waiting list by sending a direct message to (086) 2560609.