For one night only: Irish National Opera comes to Laois
Irish National Opera production of The Bartered Bride comes to Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise for one night this December
Opera aficionados who missed out on the Wexford Opera Festival last month will be thrilled to hear that Irish National Opera, Ireland’s national and most expansive opera company, is coming to Portlaoise.
Bedřich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride is a comic opera combining folk-inspired music, romance, and humour. Irish National Opera brings the Czech composer’s best-known opera to Dunamaise Arts Centre for one night this December as part of its national tour of the production.
Renowned for its memorable melodies, spirited folk-inspired rhythms and vibrant orchestration, Smetana’s score has made The Bartered Bride an enduring favourite with opera audiences around the world.
This production is also ideal for a maiden excursion to the opera; it is performed in English with subtitles and has a tidy two-hour run time.
Set in a traditional Czech village, The Bartered Bride is the story of two young lovers determined to marry despite complications created by family expectations and an ambitious marriage broker. As misunderstandings unfold and romantic plans are put to the test, audiences are treated to a lively and entertaining story filled with wit, charm and unexpected twists.
Irish soprano Amy Ní Fhearraigh and Russian-Ukrainian tenor Egor Zhuravskii lead the cast as the hindered lovers Mařenka and Jeník.
Irish National Opera will perform Smetana’s The Bartered Bride at Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise on Thursday, December 3, 2026 at 7.30pm.
Tickets and further information are available through the Dunamaise Arts Centre website.