1989 Adjudicator: Barry Cassin
  • Corcaghan, A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant, (Tom Murphy)

1990 Adjudicator: Anne Maloney-O’Driscoll
  • Corcaghan, Heritage, (Eugene McCabe)

1991 Adjudicator: Patrick Sutton
  • Castleblayney, Philadelphia, Here I Come, (Brian Friel)

1992 Adjudicator: Roma Tomelty
  • Corcaghan, Johnny Belinda, (Elmer Harris)

1993 Adjudicator: John Keyes
  • Castleblayney, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, (Dario Fo)

1994 Adjudicator: Seamus Hoey / Opened by: Sean Rocks
  • Confined: Duleek, Darling Mr London, (Anthony Marriott & Bob Grant)
  • Open: Lifford, Dancing at Lughnasa, (Brian Friel)

1995 Adjudicator: Tomas MacAnna / Opened by: Michael D. Higgins
  • Confined: Castleblayney, Duff’s Disciples, (John McArdle)
  • Open: Lifford, The Gentle Island, (Brian Friel)

1996 Adjudicator: Biddie White-Lennon / Opened by: Mary O’Donnell
  • Confined: Corcaghan, I Do Not Like Thee, Dr Fell, (Bernard Farrell)
  • Open: Corn Mill, Lovely Leitrim, (John McDwyer)

1997 Adjudicator: John McArdle / Opened by: Fr Larry Duffy
  • Confined: Duleek, There Goes the Bride, (R. Cooney & J. Chapman)
  • Open: Olivian, Canaries, (Bernard Farrell)

1998 Adjudicator: Anne Maloney-O’Driscoll / Opened by: Macartan McCormick
  • Confined: Pomeroy, Da, (Hugh Leonard)
  • Open: Castleblayney, The Great Hunger, (Tom McIntyre)

1999 Adjudicator: John Keyes / Opened by: Tommy McGuire
  • Confined: Puddle Alley, Stella by Starlight, (Bernard Farrell)
  • Open: Moat Club Naas, Portia Coughlan, (Marina Carr)

2000 Adjudicator: Roma Tomelty / Opened by: Eamon Toal
  • Confined: Backburner’s Drama Circle, The Loves of Cass Maguire, (Brian Friel)
  • Open: Moat Club Naas, By the Bog of Cats, (Marina Carr)

2001 Our festival was opened by veteran actor and producer, the late Des McGlynn. The adjudicator, Myles Purcell, was ready for action but only one group made it onto the stage and we had to cancel the remainder of the festival. The overall winner that year was The Threat of Foot and Mouth Disease.


2002 Adjudicator: Myles Purcell / Opened by Aidan McQuillan
  • Confined: Silken Thomas Players, Angels in America, (Tony Kushner)
  • Open: Sundrive Players, Living Quarters, (Brian Friel)

2003 Adjudicator: Yvonne Robbins / Opened by: Kieran Brennan
  • Confined: Silken Thomas Players, The Borstal Boy, (Brendan Behan)
  • Open: Moat Club Naas, The Weir, (Conor McPherson)

2004 Adjudicator: Michael Poyner / Opened by: Shane Martin
  • Confined: Backburners Drama Group, Thy Will Be Done, (Michael Carey)
  • Open: Moat Club Naas, The Hunt for Red Willie, (Ken Bourne)

2005 Adjudicator: Alan Stanford / Opened by: Henry Arthur McMahon
  • Confined: Ardagh Drama Group, Barn Dance, (John Fraher)
  • Open: Castleblayney Drama Players, In a Little World of Our Own, (Gary Mitchell)

2006 Adjudicator: Tommy McArdle / Opened by: Sr. Celine McArdle
  • Confined: Bridge Drama, The Memory of Water, (Sheila Stephenson)
  • Open: Silken Thomas Players, Trainspotting, (Irvine Welsh)

2007 Adjudicator: John McArdle / Opened by: Robert Kelly
  • Confined: Pomeroy Players, See How They Run, (Philip King)
  • Open: Silken Thomas Players, The Normal Heart, (Larry Kramer)

2008 Adjudicator: Roma Tomelty / Opened by: Michael McMahon
  • Confined: Kilrush Drama Group, The Cripple of Inishmaan, (Martin McDonagh)
  • Open: Theatre Workshop Dundalk, Dangerous Liaisons, (C. Hampton)

2009 Adjudicator: Michael Poyner / Opened by: Nicky Hore & Aidan McQuillan
  • Confined: Sillan Community Players, Carthaginians, (Frank McGuinness)
  • Open: Dublin Estuary Players, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, (Stephen Adly Guirguis)

2010 Adjudicator: Peter Sheridan / Opened by: Gary Carville
  • Confined: Lislea Dramatic Players, Freedom of the City, (Brian Friel)
  • Open: Silken Thomas Players, The History Boys, (Alan Bennett)

2011 Adjudicator: Michael Poyner / Opened by: Pat Deery
  • Confined: St. Dympna’s Dramore, The Loves of Cass Maguire, (Brian Friel)
  • Open: Prosperous Drama Society, November (David Mamet)

2012 Adjudicator: Tommy McArdle / Opened by: Joe Sheridan
  • Confined: Letterkenny Music & Drama Group, The 39 Steps, (John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow)
  • Open: Silken Thomas Players, Jerusalem, (Jez Butterworth)

2013 Adjudicator: Chrissie Poulter / Opened by: Nora Mulligan
  • Confined: Millrace Drama Group, Trad, (Mark Doherty)
  • Open: Silken Thomas Players, Mercury Fur, (Philip Ridley)

2014 Adjudicator: Paul Brennan / Opened by: Francis Gerard Duffy & Nicky Hore
  • Confined: The Lislea Dramatic Players, The Odd Couple, (Neil Simon)
  • Open: Prosperous Dramatic Players, Boeing Boeing, (Marc Camolett)

2015 Adjudicator: Martin Maguire / Opened by: Heather Humphries TD,
Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
  • Confined: Take 5 Drama Group, MOMologues Odd Couple, (Lisa Rafferty)
  • Open: Estuary Players, The Drawer Boy, (Michael Healy)

2016 Adjudicator: Anna Walker / Opened by: Pat McCabe
  • All Ireland Confined Final: Compántas Lir, Proof, (David Auburn)

2017 Adjudicator: Tommy McArdle / Opened by: Gabrielle Tuomey
  • Confined: Sillan Players, The Trappe Family, (Seamus O'Rourke)
  • Open: Prosperous Dramatic Society, The Play About the Baby, (Edward Albee)

2018 Adjudicator: Padraic McIntyre / Opened by: John Travers
  • Confined: Coolgreany Drama Group, Death and the Maiden (Ariel Dorfman)
  • Open: Letterkenny Music and Drama Group, Beneath an Irish Sky (Kieran Kelly)

2019 Adjudicator: Ciaran McCauley
  • Confined: Rabbit Hole, Glenamaddy Players (David Lindsay-Abair)
  • Open: The Importance of Being Earnest, Ballyshannon Drama Society (Oscar Wilde)

2020 Adjudicator: Pat Nolan
  • Confined: The Cripple of Inishmaan, Glenamaddy Players (Martin McDonagh)
  • Open: Our Few and Evil Days, Prosperous Dramatic Society (Mark O'Rowe)
(National Finals didn't take place due to pandemic)

2021 Covid-19 Pandemic - No Festival!

2022 Adjudicator: John P. Kelly
  • Confined: Family Plot, Newtownstewart Theatre Group (Daragh Carville)
  • Open: Class, Kilrush Drama Group (Iseult Golden and David Horan)

2023 Adjudicator: Imelda McDonagh ADA
  • Confined: See How They Run, Lislea Drama Group (Philip King)
  • Open: The Seafarer, Thurles Drama Group (Conor McPherson)

2024 Adjudicator: Peter O'Driscoll ADA
  • Confined: Stolen Child, Clan Machua (Yvonne Quinn & Bairbre Ní Chaoimh)
  • Open: In the Shadow of the Glen: Re-imagined, Newpoint Players (Sean Treanor)

2025 Adjudicator: Tom Byrne ADA
  • Confined: Play, Group (Playwright)
  • Open: Play, Group (Playwright