Actor Sean McGinley pulls out of Allingham Festival "for happiest of reasons"

Actor Sean McGinley has pulled out of the Allingham Festival - but organisers say they are delighted for the career opportunity that has been presented to the Ballyshannon man.

McGinley is set to take up a role in an off-Broadway production of Brian Friel's Translations.

A spokesperson for the Allingham took to social media on Wednesday to say: "This evening, unfortunately, we have to share the most disappointing news for the happiest of reasons.

"We have all been looking forward to the prospect of Sean McGinley’s return to Ballyshannon for the Allingham Festival, no-one more so than Sean himself. However, we all knew that, given the unavoidable unpredictability of an actor’s life, something might come up to spoil the plan and so it has come to pass.

"New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre have just announced their plans to stage The Friel Project, a major retrospective on the work of Brian Friel beginning with his classic Translations.

"Remember, you read it here first that director Doug Hughes has chosen Sean to play Hugh, the old schoolmaster.

"This is a part created by another Donegal man with a notable body of work on stage and screen, the late Ray McAnally. Indeed, he played the part right here in Ballyshannon, alongside our mutual friend, Stephen Rea."

The production is slated to run off-Broadway from mid-October to December which, unfortunately, runs right across the Allingham Festival dates.

The spokesperson continued: "While disappointed, of course, we are comforted by our pride and delight in seeing yet another highlight in Sean’s illustrious career.

"As for the Allingham festival, we hope and confidently expect that 'there will be another day.'"