It’s not difficult to find a reason to visit Kenmare. Just 30km from Killarney’s Holiday Village, this south Kerry town is a picturesque bridge between the Ring of Kerry and Ring of Beara, lapped by the Atlantic, swathed in stunning scenery, and brimming with wonderful restaurants. From September to November this year, it is also a hub of entertainment, as the Small Roads Theatre and Dining Festival visits Kenmare.
What is the Small Roads Theatre and Dining Festival?
Staged over seven weeks at a time when most other towns are having a rest after the summer, the Small Roads Theatre and Dining Festival visits Kenmare, Killorglin, Waterville, Rossmore, and Cork from September 22 to November 12. Inspired by a desire to extend the visiting season to the quieter but no less beautiful reaches of late autumn, the festival launched in 2016 in Kenmare, offering attendees the beauty of the south during the day and the allure of quality theatre and delicious food in the evening. This year, the Kenmare leg of the festival takes place from October 5th to 16th.
“The greatest beauty is down the smallest roads.”
Six theatrical productions feature in the festival. They are:
- Marmose the Rat, a musical play for all the family
- Present Laughter, a Tony award–winning Broadway play about a hedonistic matinee idol
- Play On!, a comedy about an Irish amateur theatrical group
- This is not the Life I Ordered! , a musical play about the relationship between a pair of very different brothers
- Glorious, based on the life of 1940s soprano Florence Foster Jenkins, “the worst singer in the world”
- The Humours of Bandon, a drama about the life of a 16-year-old Irish dancer
Drama & Dining
Kenmare cuisine is celebrated countrywide, so you are in for a special treat when you sample the delights of Small Roads. This culinary hotspot has an impressive array of award-winning restaurants, with some 49 establishments within a half hour’s drive of the town. Enjoy a delightful meal and an entertaining performance just 40 minutes from your holiday home in Killarney’s Holiday Village. Participating restaurants are offering special menus for the event to whet your appetite.
The performances will take place in the Carnegie Arts Centre, a hub of creative life in Kenmare. The venue houses a 140-seat theatre equipped with a high-end lighting and sound system, making it the perfect location to enjoy top quality entertainment.
Will you be travelling to the Small Roads Festival?
We’d love to hear from you!
