Moate playwright to feature at upcoming Scripts festival in Birr
Scripts: Ireland’s Playwriting Festival returns to Birr for its twelfth edition early next month, bringing four days of live theatre, workshops, and new Irish writing to the Midlands.
Presented by Birr Theatre & Arts Centre in partnership with Jasango Theatre, Scripts is taking place from Thursday, July 2 to Sunday, July 5.
The festival is renowned as one of Ireland’s most celebrated platforms for new playwriting and each July it transforms Birr into a creative hub, drawing writers, directors, actors and theatre-lovers from across the country to experience new work at the moment of its creation.
This year’s open call attracted a record-breaking 183 script submissions from writers across Ireland and beyond, including entries from playwrights based in the UK, the USA, Australia, Norway, Germany, Japan and Brazil.
After a rigorous selection process, three playwrights have been chosen to develop their work during a residential week in Birr under the mentorship of acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Eugene O’Brien (Eden, Heaven, Pure Mule).
The three selected playwrights are Liza Costello, from Moate, Westmeath, who presents 'In The Garden', a tense negotiation of class, loneliness and power between a gardener and his wealthy client. Costello is the author of the novels Crookedwood and The Estate (Hachette Ireland).
Liam McCarthy (Limerick) presents 'Mam and Love and Woo', in which a mother’s quiet life is upended when a community volunteer arrives at her door. McCarthy’s plays include He Dies in the End (Dublin Fringe 2025, First Fortnight Award Winner).
Meanwhile Elaine Maguire O’Connor (Dublin) presents 'Lay Your Hands On Me', a darkly compelling story about a couple in a bedsit and whether a desire for healing can become something more dangerous.
The festival opens on Thursday, July 2, with Love in the Wild, written by Scripts 2025 selected writer Lisa Walsh, directed by Peter Sheridan and performed by Anto Seery. Praised by The Irish Times as “Excellent — You should go see it”, this critically acclaimed production tells the story of Ger Duffy, a man with a hole in his heart and the faintest flicker of hope.
Friday, July 3, brings a free playwriting workshop led by Emily Reilly, Dramaturg at The Abbey Theatre, followed by The Quiet Men, written and performed by Morgan C Jones: the hidden story of Dublin brothers Barry FitzGerald and Arthur Shields, who fought in the GPO in Easter Week and went on to win an Oscar in Hollywood.
Saturday, July 4, features a full day of events: a children’s playwriting workshop for ages 8 to 12, a free play reading, a workshop on disability-led theatre practice, and two evening performances, including Footnote, a solo show by Irene Kelleher performed in a pop-up theatre on Birr’s Main Street.
The festival closes on Sunday, July 5, with Breakfast Bites with Mark O’Rowe (Normal People, Terminus), an intimate morning conversation, followed by Nurtured New Works, the festival finale where the three selected plays are presented as staged readings by professional actors and the awarded playwright is announced.
All events are individually priced. The Scripts Scholar pass (€120) gives access to all performances and workshops across all four days, plus the unique opportunity to observe a live mentoring session with Eugene O’Brien and the selected playwrights. Only 12 Scholar passes are available.
Full programme and tickets at www.scriptsireland.com or call Birr Theatre & Arts Centre on 057 9122911.
Scripts 2026 is presented by Birr Theatre & Arts Centre in partnership with Jasango Theatre. The event is also supported by funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and Offaly County Council, in addition to support from the Abbey Theatre and Fishamble.