Congratulations to all our winners, and well done to all the groups who participated in this year’s festival. The standard across all nine nights of drama was exceptionally high, and our adjudicator Mr. Vince had some very tough decisions to make! (Photos: John Fallon).

And the Winners are…

THE PATSY CROAL BLUE RIBAND: Bradán Players, ‘Blackbird’

OPEN

FIRST PLACE: Bradán Players, ‘Blackbird’

SECOND PLACE: Prosperous, ‘The Play About The Baby’

THIRD PLACE: Corn Mill, ‘Philadelphia, Here I Come’

BEST PRODUCER: Reidín Dunne, Bradán

BEST ACTOR: George Hogan, Bradán

BEST ACTRESS: Amanda Ryan, Prosperous

CONFINED

FIRST PLACE: D.A.D.S., ‘The Odd Couple’

SECOND: Newtownstewart, ‘The Hen Night Epiphany’

THIRD: Phoenix, ‘The Third Policeman’

BEST PRODUCER: Peter Davey, Tubbercurry

BEST ACTRESS: Gillian Mayse, ‘Anita’ in ‘The Hen Night Epiphany’

BEST ACTOR: Damian O’Keefe, ‘Felix’, in ‘The Odd Couple’

BILLY MYLES AUDIENCE AWARD: D.A.D.S., ‘The Odd Couple’

BEST SET: Bradán Players, ‘Blackbird’

BEST STAGE MANAGER: Caoimhe Gallagher, Tubbercurry

LIGHTING: Ciarán Healy, Prosperous

ADJUDICATOR’S AWARDS

1) Corn Mill – Gar Public and Gar Private, Derek O’Reilly and Charles Mc Guinness

2) Sound – Lawrence Bonner, Letterkenny

3) The girls in ‘The Odd Couple’: Eleanor Sheridan, Joan Walkin

PHIL MC LOONE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY A YOUNG PERSON: Catherine Joyce, Bradán

Congratulations to John Fallon on being immortalised in the Ballyshannon Drama Society Hall of Fame at a ceremony in the Abbey Arts Centre last night. John has a long history of involvement in local drama, most recently acting as the resident festival photographer. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to honour all his contributions, accomplishments and achievements…and to get him in front of the camera for a change!

A native of Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, John came to the area in September 1980 to take up a teaching post in St. Macartan’s National School in Bundoran. He performed in a number of productions with the Bundoran Drama Group in the 1980s: ‘The Righteous Are Bold’, ‘Key For Two’, ‘Patrick Pierce Motel’, ‘See How They Run’ and ‘Fool’s Paradise’. In 1987, 1988 and 1999, three of these productions won the confined section in the Ballyshannon Drama Festival. John returned to the stage in 2016 as a cast member in the Ballyshannon Drama Society production of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’.

A multi-talented individual, John has acted as the sports co-ordinator in St. Macartan’s, ran the chess and draughts club, and enjoyed county, Ulster and All Ireland success in the Community Games. He is a member of the Wine Club, the Gourmet Club, the Badminton Club, the Photographic Club, and has still found the time to perform in four choirs: Bel Canto, Donegal Voices, the Bundoran Church Choir, and the Bundoran Remembered Choir.

On top of all this, John is an accomplished pianist and organist…and if that weren’t enough, he was also a member of the Long School of Dancing. John and his partner Catherine Breslin went on to win County, Ulster and All Ireland titles, so it seems fitting that John’s plaque will sit alongside his old dance partner’s in our Hall of Fame.