Drumlin Storytelling Festival

Monaghan County Library Service runs the Drumlin Storytelling Festival across the county from Friday, 18 September to Sunday, 20 September 2026, according to Monaghan County Council’s own events calendar. The festival puts storytelling itself centre stage rather than treating it as filler between music acts, with guest tellers appearing in small, often unusual venues across the county over the three days.

What to expect

Past editions have brought in professional storytellers alongside local performers, with previous years featuring guests such as Colin Urwin, Masako Carey, Grace Connolly and Madeline McCully performing in venues including Bessmount House, Mullan Village and Cornagilta Heritage Centre. The mix each year covers story sessions in schools and care homes, story walks outdoors, family sessions aimed at children, and separate evening events pitched at an adult audience. Some sessions have limited capacity and need advance booking, while others are open and free to walk into, so it is worth checking the programme for each specific event rather than assuming the whole festival works the same way. Monaghan County Library publishes a full brochure closer to the date, usually through its Issuu page, with the venue list and booking details for the sessions that need them.

Getting there

Because the festival is spread across small venues in different parts of the county rather than one central site, getting there depends on which sessions you plan to attend. Monaghan town, with its bus links and town centre car parking, is the easiest base if you are attending more than one event over the weekend.

While you’re in Monaghan

The festival’s home base is Monaghan County Library, on the Peace Campus in the county town, so it is worth building a visit to the library or the adjoining Monaghan County Museum into the same trip. There is more to see in Monaghan and across Co. Monaghan.

Good to know

• Date: Friday, 18 September to Sunday, 20 September 2026
• Venue: Multiple venues across County Monaghan, organised by the county library service
• Price: Many sessions are free; some have limited spaces and require booking
• Recurrence: Runs annually each September; check the Monaghan County Library brochure nearer the date for the confirmed 2026 venue list
• Family sessions: Previous years have included dedicated family and children’s storytelling sessions alongside the adult evening programme