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family · Monday 6 July 2026 · 10:00am 
An Grianan Theatre Summer Camp - Week 1 (Performance & Mask Making)
At An Grianan Theatre · Letterkenny, Co. Donegal
At An Grianan Theatre · Letterkenny, Co. Donegal
If your child is 8-12 and curious about what goes on behind a stage, this five-day camp at An Grianán Theatre is a genuinely good use of a summer week - and it costs nothing to attend. Funded through the PEACEPLUS cross-border arts programme, the Week One camp runs Monday to Friday, 6-10 July, combining hands-on mask making with an introduction to live performance. It is aimed squarely at young people with no previous theatre experience, so there is no pressure to arrive with skills already in place.
Each morning runs from 10am to 1pm in the theatre building itself - not a community hall or a school gym, but an actual working stage and rehearsal space. Facilitator and performer Valerie Bryce leads the sessions, taking the group through the basics of dramatic expression and stage presence alongside practical mask-making work. The activities move between making and performing rather than sitting and watching, which suits that age group well. By the end of the week, participants will have created their own mask and had a go at using it in front of others. Because the theatre prioritises young people new to this kind of activity, children who have never set foot on a stage are very much the target audience, not an afterthought. Spaces are limited, so early registration through the An Grianán website is recommended.
Letterkenny is the largest town in Donegal and sits at the head of Lough Swilly, roughly an hour and twenty minutes’ drive from Derry and just over two hours from Dublin via the M1 and N2. The town is well served by Bus Éireann routes from Derry, Sligo, and Dublin, with the bus station close to the town centre. An Grianán Theatre is on Port Road, a short walk from the main shopping streets and easily reached on foot from the town centre. Street parking is available nearby, and the theatre has its own car park.
Letterkenny makes a good base for a day or two if you are travelling from outside Donegal. The surrounding county has some of the finest coastline in Ireland, from the sea stacks at Slieve League to the beaches of Fanad. There is more to see in Letterkenny and across Co. Donegal.
Heading to An Grianan Theatre in Letterkenny? Donegal has plenty more to see. Read the Letterkenny area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.