Shakespeare on the Hill: Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare on the Hill, Mid Ulster District Council’s annual open-air Shakespeare production with Donaghmore-based Bardic Theatre, returns to Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House in Dungannon on Thursday, 27 August 2026 with a staging of Much Ado About Nothing. The series takes advantage of the site’s outdoor covered performance space and its setting on one of Ulster’s most storied heritage hills.

What to expect

Bardic Theatre has built a strong local reputation performing West End musicals and classic drama both at home in Donaghmore and on tour across Ireland and Britain, and the company brings that experience to Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identity, wordplay and reluctant romance between Beatrice and Benedick. The previous year’s instalment in the same series, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, played to audiences in the same outdoor covered space, with doors opening around 6:45pm ahead of a 7:30pm start, and reduced pricing for children. The Hill of the O’Neill setting, with panoramic views over several counties of Ulster, gives the production a backdrop few indoor theatres can match. Attendees are advised to dress for the weather even though the performance area itself is covered.

Getting there

Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House sits on Market Square in Dungannon town centre, within walking distance of the town’s main car parks.

While you’re in Dungannon

The Hill of the O’Neill site is Dungannon’s best-known landmark, with the Ranfurly House exhibition on the Plantation of Ulster open in the same building. There is more to see across Co. Tyrone.

Good to know

• Date: Thursday, 27 August 2026, doors around 6:45pm for a 7:30pm start
• Venue: Hill of the O’Neill and Ranfurly House, Dungannon
• Price: around £18 per ticket, based on the previous year’s run of this series
• Presented by: Bardic Theatre with Mid Ulster District Council
• Outdoor covered space; dress for the weather