Five must-see shows to catch before The Dublin Fringe Festival finishes

It’s that time of year again when the city’s culture vultures come out from woodworks, looking to enjoy The Dublin Fringe Festival and see what Ireland’s multidisciplinary arts scene has to offer.

This year’s festival includes a particularly impressive programme, with up to 15 events happening each day. If you haven’t caught a Fringe show yet we advise you do so STAT (whilst there’s still time – and tickets – left).

Whilst there are countless of fantastic shows, performances and exhibitions on offer around the city, here are five that have particularly peaked our interest; from the thought-provoking to the laugh-out-loud funny, a ticket to any of the below is money well spent. 

The Cat’s Mother

Erica Murray // Sept 18-22 // Smock Alley Black Box Theatre

Starring the wildly impressive Sarah Madden, Eimear O’Riordan and Kate Kennedy, The Cat’s Mother is a dark Irish comedy that asks how far are you willing to go for your own family, and what happens when you have to care for the person who should be caring for you? The show received wide acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is set to delight Irish audiences in equal measures this September.

I AM DYNAMITE

Roisin Agnew // Sept 22-23 // The Complex

With I Am Dynamite Roisin Agnew has a curated meeting of creative minds who are intent on exploring the subject of artistic dissent and causing offence in modern day culture, both by internet trolls and artist provocateurs alike. This hotly-anticipated two-day event will see various creative minds presenting their views in a series of talks, performances, and gigs, with contributors including Angela Nagle, Roisin Agnew, Rosa Abbott, Emmet Kirwan, Grace Dyas, Jesse Presley Jones, Spicebag and Rob Mirolo. It’s like a mini Fringe Festival in itself, and we’re very much looking forward to it.

Son of a Preacher Man

Stephen Mullan // Sept 17-22 // The Workman’s Club

In his brand new stand-up show, one-to-watch Stephen Mullan gets real about the struggle he encountered growing up as the unruly son of a Latina Mother and a born-again Christian Preacher father in 1980’s Cork. As he talks us through his battle with deteriorating mental health and overcoming crippling depression, Stephen ultimately preaches how laughter is possible, no matter how bad life gets. Here is a man who is as good at making people think as he is at making people laugh.

A Line of O’Kane

Deirdre O’Kane // Sept 19 -22 // Smock Alley Theatre

Ahh, Deirdre O’Kane. Is there anything this woman can’t do? Having won the country over with her dancing flair back in early 2018, she’s spent her time between now and then fighting homelessness, championing AMD awareness, and somewhere along the way has managed to write her own woman show, too. A Line of O’Kane promises a hilarious and honest account of the last year of Deirdre’s hectic life and looks set to be the perfect pick-me-up for anyone in need of a chuckle-loaded dose of reality.

For Saoirse

Axis Ballymun // Sept 18-22 // Axis Ballymun

Colm Keegan is proving himself to be a standout wordsmith on the theatre and slam poetry scene, and his debut play For Saoirse does not disappoint. Here Keegan takes us on a poetic journey around Dublin, from Dublin to the Rotunda, with Craner, a first-time father fretting over a future he never planned. A well-told story centred around a fascinating character, it’ll leave you thinking about the twists and turns of life and how it can render you powerless when you least expect it.

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