Parke Drama Group

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Parke Drama Group Parke Drama Group So the call went out for budding actors and stage crew. Patrick’s Drama Group in Westport. And so the journey began!

The idea of forming a local drama group in Parke had been discussed many times but always seemed to be put on the back burner in favour of more pressing committments. Many of the Group had been involved in concerts over the years and also in putting on plays for the young people and getting them involved in Scor and Readoiri. Eventually in September 2008 a group got together and it was decided that it was now or never for the establishment of a Drama Group for the adults. Fortunately at this time we were put in touch with Dermot MacMahon who had been heavily involved in Directing with St. He kindly agreed to come on board and guide along the right path. Many plays were read and discussed until finally we settled on Pretend Sick, by Michael Joe Ginnelly, as our debut production. Casting began well and many of the parts had been filled, but we came up one cast member short - we had no male for the part of Martin. So again the call went out for male actors to fill the role, finally after many attempts, Michael Maguire walked through the doors and after his audition we knew we had our Martin. Pretend Sick took to the stage in March 2009 to, thankfully, full houses and much, much laughter. For the majority of those involved it was their first time on stage, so you see it is possible!!!!! Co-operation with the Parke Community Centre Committee has been one of the corner stones for the success of the Group to date. They have provided us with a venue to present our productions and also a place to rehearse throughout the Winter months. Without this support our Group could not be successful. Our second production, in 2010, was another Ginnelly masterpiece entitled ‘A Wake in The West’. This hilarious 3 Act Comedy has been performed by a number of amateur groups around Mayo and indeed around Ireland. It has also been performed by a number of professional companies. The success of 2009 meant that a number of new members joined the Group in for the 2010 production, a couple of these making their acting debut. Once again we played to packed houses on all 4 nights of the production. Thanks to the success of the production we were delighted to be in a position to donate money to a number of charities. The Group donated €500 to the Hospice Uganda, €500 to The Western Alzheimer’s Association and €750 to Parke National School. We are delighted to do this as a community based Group and firmly believe in giving back to the community whenever possible. The members of the Parke Drama & Arts Group are drawn from the local area and also from surrounding areas such as Ballyvary, Bohola Castlebar & Foxford. Membership is open to all and the more people we have who can contribute to the group the more we can learn and the better the productions can be. It is not only actors that are needed to put on a play, it is production teams, costume, lighting, sound, make up, ticket sales, the stage crew and a superbly experienced director. We were lucky to have Dermot MacMahon as our director for both of our productions to date. Breda Morris and Kate Boyle led the production team – and kept us all sane, fed, and motivated.

🎭 READY FOR A NIGHT OF LAUGHS?🤣Get ready for a hilarious night of Irish village madness, questionable ideas and characte...
10/09/2026

🎭 READY FOR A NIGHT OF LAUGHS?🤣

Get ready for a hilarious night of Irish village madness, questionable ideas and characters you’ll definitely recognise!

POOR LADY’S UNIVERSITY is a comedy written and directed by Ollie Barrett - and it promises plenty of laughs from start to finish! 😂

Set around 2009/2010 just after the crash, in a fading west of Ireland village, the local community centre has taken on a rather unusual second life… it’s also the village pub! 🍻

With the community centre hanging by a thread, the locals will try just about anything to save it. Expect:

👨‍🌾 A farmer convinced the rain started with the foreigners
💘 A widow running a dating agency straight from her handbag
⛪ A priest who'd rather deal cards than hear confessions
💶 A daughter chasing a €1 million quiz-show jackpot
🤔 And a whole cast of locals with VERY strong opinions… most of which are completely wrong!

Throw them all together and you have the recipe for a brilliantly funny night of community, chaos and craic! 😂

And there’s an extra reason to come along - members of Parke Arts & Drama Group are part of the cast! 🎭👏

So come out, support local theatre and local talent, bring your friends, and settle in for a night of guaranteed laughs.

🎟️ Poor Lady’s University
😂 Comedy • 🎭 Local Talent • 🍻 Irish Craic

You won’t want to miss it!
Admission is €15 on the door - Cash Only
Curtain Up: 8.00pm

Please spread the word!



ParkeandCrimlin Development Parke N.S Parke Community Group Parke Keelogues Crimlin G.A.A Turlough Community Heritage Village Turlough Stores XL Turlough Inn Turlough Hair & Beauty Turlough Nursery Turlough Wheelers Cycling Club Ballyvary Hurling Club Ballyvary BB FC Frank O'Reilly's Bar & Lounge in the Heart of Ballyvary Co.Mayo

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘣, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺...
27/08/2026

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘣, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺'𝘴 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵: 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘨, 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰'𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘻 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯...𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵.

Upstage Players bring Ollie Barrett’s hilarious comedy, ‘Poor Lady’s University’, to Parke Community Hall on Friday, September 11th. Featuring some members of Parke Drama Group, the production is a great opportunity to support local talent and enjoy an entertaining night out.
The show begins at 8:00pm, and admission is €15 on the door.

There's a few members of our own group involved in the Cast of Poor Lady's University. We're told that it's a hilarious ...
10/08/2026

There's a few members of our own group involved in the Cast of Poor Lady's University. We're told that it's a hilarious play so why not come along on Friday 11th September at 8.00pm for a great night's entertainment.

🎭 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 🎭

We're delighted to share some show news this evening. Get your diaries out and make a date with Upstage Players, because we'll be bringing Poor Lady's University to Parke and Tuam next month.

📆 Friday, September 11th - Parke Community Hall
📆 Saturday, September 12th - The Mall Theatre, Tuam

Both shows begin at 8pm and admission is €15. There will also be a raffle both nights, with some great prizes up for grabs.

All proceeds from entry fee and raffle are part of a fundraiser for Crimlin N.S. and the show itself features stand out ...
11/04/2026

All proceeds from entry fee and raffle are part of a fundraiser for Crimlin N.S. and the show itself features stand out performances from some of the students. Please like and share.

Our run of *Pretend Sick* has come to an end, and what a fantastic few nights it has been! We thoroughly enjoyed perform...
15/03/2026

Our run of *Pretend Sick* has come to an end, and what a fantastic few nights it has been! We thoroughly enjoyed performing this wonderfully hilarious play by Michael Joe Ginnelly across four brilliant performances.

A massive well done to all our cast, especially the five newcomers who joined us this year. Since last October, they have worked tirelessly to bring their characters to life under the watchful eye of our wonderful director, Brid Quinn.

A huge thank you also goes to our hardworking production and backstage crew. So much of what they do happens behind the scenes, but their dedication ensures the cast can shine on stage and that the audience enjoys a truly immersive experience.

We’ll take a few weeks off now before beginning the search over the summer for our next play. Finding one as good as *Pretend Sick* will be no easy task — but we’ll certainly give it our best shot!

Finally, a sincere thank you to everyone who came along to support the show. Your laughter, applause and encouragement mean the world to us and make all the hard work worthwhile. We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our audiences and look forward to welcoming you back again for our next production. 🎭

This gang are raring to go here in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet. Pop in if you close by.
13/03/2026

This gang are raring to go here in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet. Pop in if you close by.

Delighted to be back in Belmullet. We'd love to see you there. Help spread the word!Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet Baile ...
10/03/2026

Delighted to be back in Belmullet. We'd love to see you there. Help spread the word!

Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet Baile Slachtmhar Bhéal an Mhuirthead / Belmullet Tidy Towns Belmullet Tidal Pool Shore Road Belmullet Parade & Events Blacksod Sea Safari Blacksod Lighthouse Official Erris United FC/Iorras Aontaithe Clg Béal an Mhuirthead/Belmullet LGFA Erris Family & Community Support Centre Erris Chamber of Commerce

Parke Arts & Drama Group are delighted to be returning to Áras Inis Gluaire for the first time since January 2020. This ...
08/03/2026

Parke Arts & Drama Group are delighted to be returning to Áras Inis Gluaire for the first time since January 2020. This time around they are bringing the hilarious comedy Pretend Sick by Michael Joe Ginnelly.
We have already performed Pretend Sick to 3 sellout audiences in Parke & Balla over the last couple of weekends and we'd love to see a big crowd in Áras Inis Gluaire next Friday, 13th March. Curtain Up at 8.00pm.
Tickets are €15.00 and can be purchased on the night or in advance by calling 097 81079 or online at arasinisgluaire.ie

Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet Baile Slachtmhar Bhéal an Mhuirthead / Belmullet Tidy Towns Belmullet Erris Lions Club Iorras Domhnann - Belmullet Tourist Office Belmullet Parish Belmullet Tidal Pool Shore Road Clg Béal an Mhuirthead/Belmullet LGFA Belmullet Parade & Events Erris Chamber of Commerce

Well done to everyone on a wonderful performance last night in Balla Community Centre. From the crew who spent the day l...
07/03/2026

Well done to everyone on a wonderful performance last night in Balla Community Centre. From the crew who spent the day literally preparing the stage for the wonderful cast to strut their stuff. And they strutted brilliantly with another magnificent performance in front of a packed house earning them their 3rd standing ovation. It means even more when you are performing away from home.
Director Brid Quinn was over the moon with the performance.

A massive thank you to Sheona and all the team at Balla Community Centre for looking after us so well.

We're not finished yet. Next Friday 13th March we head for Belmullet and the wonderful Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet. Curtain up at 8.00pm. If you know anyone around Belmullet please let them know.

With CRCfm – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers 🎉
03/03/2026

With CRCfm – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers 🎉

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Parke Community Centre
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