Parklife: Promenade Theatre Through Boyle Pleasure Grounds

A community park is, as Julie Sharkey puts it, “a love letter from cities and towns to their residents” - and Parklife takes that idea literally. This open-air promenade theatre piece leads a small audience through Boyle’s Pleasure Grounds, pausing at park benches to watch three short plays unfold in the grass and open air around them. It is an unhurried, intimate kind of theatre: no darkened auditorium, no rows of seats, just a guided walk through a town park with drama appearing where you least expect it. Anyone who enjoys theatre and can manage a gentle walk will find this one of the more memorable hours of their summer.

What to expect

Julie Sharkey wrote and directed all three plays, and she leads the promenade format with clear theatrical confidence - this is not an amateur stroll but a shaped, directed piece. The three short works are “Pink Makes the Boys Wink”, “Man and Girl” and “Brideshead”, each performed at a different bench location within the grounds, so the landscape itself becomes part of the staging. The full experience runs approximately one hour. Because audience capacity per showing is deliberately kept small, you will want to book in advance - tickets are €15 and available via Citizen Ticket. There are three showings each day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, running across ten days as part of the wider Boyle Arts Festival, which brings over 40 events to the town between 16 and 25 July.

The Pleasure Grounds sit behind King House in the centre of Boyle, originally private gardens of the King family. They are now the town’s public park, open and unhurried, with mature planting and a quiet riverside quality that suits this kind of outdoor theatre rather well.

Getting there

Boyle is on the N4 Dublin - Sligo road, roughly 30 km north of Roscommon town and about two hours from Dublin. Bus Eireann serves Boyle on the Dublin - Sligo route, with the stop close to the town centre. The Pleasure Grounds entrance is a short walk from the main street and from King House. If you are driving, parking is available in the town and the walk to the Pleasure Grounds is flat and brief.

While you’re in Boyle

Boyle is worth a longer visit than a single event demands. King House, a Georgian mansion on the main street, is open to visitors and tells the story of the Connacht Rangers. Lough Key Forest Park is ten minutes by car and offers forest trails, a tree canopy walk and boat trips on the lake. There is more to see in Boyle and across Co. Roscommon.

Good to know

• Runs 16 - 25 July 2026; three showings daily at 11am, 1pm and 3pm
• Running time: approximately 1 hour
• Tickets: €15 per person, bookable via Citizen Ticket at boylearts.com
• Capacity per showing is limited - early booking strongly advised
• The event involves a gentle walk through a public park; suitable for most fitness levels
• Part of Boyle Arts Festival 2026 (40+ events across ten days)