EDINBURGH 2026
Contact
Culture Ireland
Culture Ireland
Established in 2005, Culture Ireland’s mission is to promote Irish arts worldwide.
Through grant programmes and showcase initiatives, it supports and develops opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present their work across the globe. This includes international festivals, venues, galleries and arts markets including here at the Edinburgh Festivals, Celtic Connections, the Venice Art and Architecture Biennales, WOMEX World Music Expo and Frankfurt Book Fair.
Through this work, it builds relationships and networks with arts and cultural organisations, relevant public bodies, state agencies and government departments at home and abroad to advance the global impact of Irish artists. It also ensures that Ireland’s cultural excellence is enjoyed by international audiences.
Culture Ireland runs a regular funding scheme to support the international presentation of work by Irish artists and companies. Applications are accepted from both participating artists and from international presenters.
Culture Ireland also operates See Here, a scheme to support the inward travel to Ireland of international presenters, curators and promoters to see new Irish work on the island of Ireland available for touring.
Full details of Culture Ireland’s activities and grant schemes are available at: www.cultureireland.ie
Culture Ireland is a division of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
Welcome | Fáilte
As Minister with responsibility for promoting Irish arts worldwide, I’m very pleased to introduce Culture Ireland’s 2026 Edinburgh Showcase, once again presenting the best of emerging theatre and dance from across the island of Ireland.
Last year, I was privileged to visit Edinburgh during the Festival month and attended several productions featured in Culture Ireland’s 2025 showcase. The audience and critical responses to those shows confirmed to me – once again – the high esteem in which Irish arts is held. Many of those productions - Lost Lear, Anthem for Dissatisfaction, You’ll See, among others – continue to tour internationally with opportunities emerging from their Edinburgh success.
During my visit, I also saw at first hand, the valuable industry engagement and professional development opportunities that Culture Ireland’s showcase facilitates and was heartened to hear from both artists and presenters about the value of Culture Ireland’s showcasing.
Over the following pages, you’ll read of the eight shows participating in this year’s Edinburgh programme. I wish them well as they follow in the footsteps of Irish artists who have blazed the Edinburgh trail over many decades.
This booklet also features details of the many Irish writers who will feature at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival. I’m hesitant about the phrase “golden age” but the current cohort of Irish writers is achieving astonishing successes across the globe.
All these performances and readings are a chance for new audiences and I know that the participating artists make the most of the opportunity.
As ever, we rely on the critical support and commitment of the venues and Festivals across Edinburgh as they welcome and support Irish artists. I want to thank sincerely those organisations including the Edinburgh Fringe Society and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, as well as key Fringe venues including Assembly, Summerhall, Traverse and Underbelly.
I also want to acknowledge the Irish Consulate in Edinburgh for both their amplification of Culture Ireland’s work but also their support of Irish artists across the year.
Beir bua.
Patrick O’Donovan, TD Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport
PHOTO: LEO BYRNE &
Fishamble: The New Play Company in association with Lime Tree Theatre | Belltable, Galway International Arts Festival and Traverse Theatre
For Dolores
By Eva O’Connor Director Jim Culleton
Starring Lara Mc Donnell and Catriona Faint
Set and Costume Design Alyson Cummins
Lighting Design Suzie Cummins
Composition and Sound Design Denis Clohessy
‘When beautiful worlds collide’
Mo (the Scottish one) and Realtín (the Irish one) partied, played and blazed their way through the Edinburgh student dream. Set in Glasgow a couple of years later, For Dolores is about friendship, motherhood and coming to terms with your worst mistakes.
Like twin stars in obsessive orbit, it’s a friendship, a rivalry and an adventure. Risk is a delicious pleasure: until it all explodes in the blink of an eye.
How far will they go for love?
Thursday 6 – Sunday 30 August
Various times (see schedule grid on back page)
Traverse Theatre
10 Cambridge St, Edinburgh EH1 2ED
Booking
www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/for-dolores T 0131 228 1404
Contact Laura MacNaughton Producer | Allie Whelan Marketing T +353 85 264 9552
E laura@fishamble.com | allie@fishamble.com www.fishamble.com
Oisín Kearney & Gina Donnelly
Good With Faces
By Oisín Kearney Starring Patrick McBrearty and Clodagh Mooney-Duggan Stage Management Caoimhe McGee
Sound Katie Richardson Lighting Jonathan M Daley
Intimacy Co-ordination Paula O’Reilly Set Ciaran Bagnall
Winner Solas Nua New Voices Award 2025.
Garrick has tidied her living room and put out the good biscuits. But social worker Hegarty is there to interrogate. Why has her son got a mysterious bruise? Is she fit to care for him? What is she hiding? As power shifts and facades drop it becomes clear Garrick and Hegarty desperately need each other.
A taut thriller, a struggle for power between a worried mother and concerned social worker. But who is telling the truth? A complex interrogation of parenting, power and what it means to care.
HHHH ‘Full of punchy twists […] a slick production that makes great use of the instruments at its disposal’ The Irish Times
Friday 7 – Monday 31 August
Preview 6th August | No shows on 18, 25 August 4.20pm | 60 minutes
Tech Cube Zero
Summerhall Arts, 1 Summerhall Place, Edinburgh
Booking
https://festival.summerhallarts.co.uk/events/goodwith-faces/
Contact Gina Donnelly Producer
T 07928498227
E gina.r.donnelly96@gmail.com
PHOTO: NÓRA
NAF Dance
Ham Sandwiches and Discipline
By Nóra Ní Anluain Fay
Starring Nóra Ní Anluain Fay and Ben Sullivan
Witness the passionate drive of the GAA, Ireland’s national sports, fused with dance, disco and comedy in Ham Sandwiches and Discipline.
From mammies’ sideline screaming, manic pundits, stadium crisp eating and teenage club socials, we delve into what makes this sport a national tradition. While injecting this hive of Irishness with campiness and humour we glimpse at what growing up in Ireland can be like and what can shape a national identity. After a national and international festival tour this infectiously joyous theatrical explosion makes its UK premiere.
‘A Must-See,’ The Irish Times, RTÉ Culture and District Magazine
‘An innovative dance, sketch and slapstick outing that brings theatre and sport into curious harmony,’ The Irish Independent
19 – 31 August 2026
55 minutes
Assembly George Square
Studio Two, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH
Booking
www.assemblyfestival.com/whats-on
T +44 131 623 3030 | +44 131 623 303
E info@assemblyfestival.com
Contact
Nóra Ní Anluain Fay Lead Artist
T +353 086 270 7284
E nafdance@gmail.com
www.nafdance.com
Joy Nesbitt
Julius Caesar Variety Show
Written and Performed by Joy Nesbitt
Cast Pattie Maguire, Lore Adewusi, Daniel Mahon, Ultan Pringle, Conrad Jones-Brangan Produced by Ois O’Donoghue
Original Lighting Design by Pedro Pacheco
Set and Costume Design by Jack Rogers
Sound Design by Martha Knight
Julius Caesar Variety Show is the worst audition you’ve ever had.
A Black actor, a woman actor, and a straight white male actor walk into a Shakespeare audition in a condemned theatre space. Amidst a riot outside the theatre, three auditionees attempt to impress an intensely respected director set on reinventing the play in ‘unorthodox’ styles. As the audition unfolds, the actors’ identities are called into the audition room and exploited for better performances.
Thursday 6 – Monday 31 August
No show 17, 24 August
4:45pm | 60 Minutes
Summerhall
1, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL
Booking
https://festival.summerhallarts.co.uk/events/juliuscaesar-variety-show/ www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/julius-caesarvariety-show
Contact Ois O’Donoghue Producer T +353 85 110 2146
E oisinod31@gmail.com www.joynesbitt.com
PHOTO: OWEN CLARKE
Martha Knight
The King of All Birds
Written and Performed by Martha Knight
Directed by Joy Nesbitt Produced by Ois O’Donoghue
Original Lighting Design Jess Fitzsimmons Kane
Set and Costume Design Jack Rogers
Sound Engineering Tobi Barry
Who is the king of all birds? This tongue-in-cheek gig for voice and vocoder by award-winning sound artist Martha Knight is a love letter to the history of flight. Based on the phenomenon of aerial photos being displayed in Irish homes from the 1960s, the one-woman play expands this story to include explorations of ancient mythological birds, bringing us to the present, where airplanes and satellites rule the sky. Conjuring tales through traditional Irish music, using live electronics and effects to bring the ancient Irish tradition of song into the present day.
HHHH Irish Times
Thursday 6 – Monday 31 August
No show 17, 24 August
1:40pm | 60 Minutes
Summerhall
1, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL
Booking
https://festival.summerhallarts.co.uk/events/the-kingof-all-birds/ www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-king-of-allbirds
Contact
Ois O’Donoghue Producer
T +353 85 110 2146
E oisinod31@gmail.com
www.marthaknight.net/about
PHOTO: DANIEL BYRNE
Benjamin Reilly Mortal Sin
By Benjamin Reilly Director Lee Coffey
Cast Benjamin Reilly, Isolde Fenton
Lighting Design Eoin Byrne Set Design Jenny Whyte
JFK’S been shot and Colm and Pegyy want a day off school. Sure, they got one when the Pope died!
Follow two best friends as they stage a protest in the tiny village of Cundannon to honour the slain U.S president.
A bold, heartfelt, and hilarious exploration of growing up different in an Ireland where the Church controls everything from classrooms to confession. Mortal Sin is ultimately a celebration of friendship; a small but defiant stand against the shame that shaped a generation.
Colm and Peggy stick it to the man … well, Sister Assumpta anyway!
‘A stunning double act’ Reviews Hub
HHHH ‘Hilariously touching… superbly thoughtful… a heartfelt delight’ Arts Review
‘A very special new talent’ Sunday Independent
Wednesday 5 – Monday 31 August
No shows on 10, 17, 24 August | 50 minutes
Wee Room Gilded Balloon Teviot
Booking
https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/
Contact
Benjamin Reilly Writer/Producer/Performer
T +353 86 453 0830
E benreilly30@gmail.com
PHOTO: ADAM DONOVAN
Oh!Scare Wilde Productions
The Pigeon Factory
By Aaron O’Neill Director Dee Finn Performer Aaron O’Neill
Sound Design Adam Donovan Set Design Hannah Lane
Pigeon Design
Séana Coveney
Walden has a pretty good life. Happily married to his mannequin wife, he works his pigeon children into the ground and feasts upon their eggs for sustenance. Walden is doing everything he’s supposed to do – so why does he feel so empty? Can his fantasies about his pigeons sustain him? Or must he face up to a great hurt done to him in the past? The Pigeon Factory is a darkly absurd one-man show that explores work, family and finding purpose in a broken society.
The play debuted at Cork Midsummer Festival 2023. It was revived in Cork, Dublin, and the West Cork Fit-Up Festival in 2024, and at Cork Fringe Festival in 2026.
HHHH ‘Ingenious, consistently entertaining’ Irish Times
Wednesday 5 August – Sunday 30 August
12.55pm every day except Monday 17 August 60 minutes
Underbelly Cowgate
Jelly Belly stage, 66 Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1JX
Booking
www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/events/event/thepigeon-factory#performance E boxoffice@underbelly.co.uk
Contact
Aaron O’Neill Artistic director/writer/performer E ohscarewildeproductions@gmail.com
T +353 86 876 3540
www.ohscarewildeproductions.com
PHOTO: BETHAN ROSE
Bethan Rose & Berserk Theatre
Spin Cycle: The Lesbian Launderette Play
By Zofia Zerphy Directed by Bethan Rose Cast Rhiannon Bell and Zofia Zerphy
Spin Cycle: The Lesbian Laundrette Play makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut, bringing a queer absurdist story to the stage. Packed with heart, wit and emotional depth, the play presents a liminal world where past and present collide in the space of a single wash cycle, allowing forgotten memories to be rinsed clean.
Eyes lock. Hearts thump. But something is off. This snappy twohander explores love, memory, class and Irish identity against the thrum of washing machines that cleanse our clothes, lives, and actions.
Off West End’s 2026 OffFest award-winner, Spin Cycle champions Irish heritage and queer and gender non-conforming characters.
HHHHH ‘A seriously refreshing show on queer love, whirring memory and finding the truth in it all’ A Youngish Perspective
Saturday 8 – Monday 31 August
Previews 5–7 | No shows on 17 August 2:25pm | 1 hr
Underbelly Clover
Bristo Square, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9YL
Booking
https://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/whatson-all
Contact
Bethan Rose
T +44 7474 234620
E bethanrj566@gmail.com
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL 2026
For 2026, Culture Ireland is delighted to extend its long established partnership with the Book Festival, now based at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
This year, in addition to providing support for the attendance of Irish writers, we are also supporting a sustainable travel pilot. The Festival has invited a number of Irish writers to experience possible travel alternatives by making their way to the Festival overland while measuring their carbon footprint and the barriers they face en route.
A selection of Irish writers appearing at the Festival is featured in the following pages.
www.edbookfest.co.uk
Booking
boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk
Anne Enright
Attention
Saturday 15 August
10am - 11am
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue T
Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Daisy Johnson
Kindred Spirits
Saturday 15 August
6:45pm – 7:45pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue NW
Jan Carson Magical Realism
Tuesday 18 August
5pm - 7pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue A
Donal Ryan
Where Are the Kings
Tuesday 18 August
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Courtyard Theatre
Ashley Hickson-Lovence and Matthew Rice
Art/Work
Tuesday 18 August
7:15 pm – 8:15pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue B
Sara Baume
Opening Night
Thursday 20 August
2pm - 3pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue B
Patrick Freyne and Séamas O’Reilly
Deadly Serious
Friday 21 August
6:15pm – 7:15pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue B
Non-Fiction Reporting A Workshop with Sally Hayden
Wednesday 26 August 3pm – 4:30pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue A
Hannah Lavery, Jennifer Wong and Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe Migratory Patterns
Thursday 27 August
3:45pm – 4:45pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue B
Colm Tóibín
The News from Dublin
Friday 28 August
3:15pm – 4:15pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue T
Major Doodle Alert with Sarah Bowie
Sunday 30 August
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Venue B
DESIGN:
GARETH JONES
For Dolores
Fishamble: The New Play Company
Good With Faces
Oisín Kearney and Gina Donnelly
Ham Sandwiches and Discipline
NAF Dance
Julius Caesar Variety Show Joy Nesbitt
The King of All Birds
Mortal Sin Benjamin Reilly
The Pigeon Factory
Oh!Scare Wilde Productions
Spin Cycle: The Lesbian Launderette Play
Bethan Rose & Berserk Theatre
Assembly George Square Studio Two
Teviot
Underbelly Cowgate Jelly Belly stage
Bristo Square
Anne Enright: Attention Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue T
Doireann Ní Ghríofa & Daisy Johnson: Kindred Spirits
Jan Carson: Magical Realism
Donal Ryan: Where Are the Kings
Ashley Hickson-Lovence & Matthew Rice: Art/Work
Sara Baume: Opening Night
Patrick Freyne & Séamas O’Reilly: Deadly Serious
Non-Fiction Reporting: A Workshop with Sally Hayden
Hannah Lavery, Jennifer Wong & Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe: Migratory Patterns
Colm Tóibín: The News from Dublin
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue NW
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue A
Edinburgh Futures Institute Courtyard Theatre
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue B
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue B
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue B
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue A
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue B
Edinburgh Futures Institute Venue T