Under a dramatic new letterhead comes director Colm Kelly's timely reminder of the ADCI All-Ireland Festival season and confirmation of a rule change.The Confined winners will no longer go on to the Open Finals. The separate Confined Festival Finals will be held at the Rialto Centre in Derry from April 22nd to May 1st 1999. Throughout the month of March, there will be qualifying festivals at 36 venues for the 47th Open Final in Athlone. This will take place from May 4th to 15th, with Russell Whiteley (GODA) adjudicating.

At the AGM of the ADCI, held in Athlone, there was a 95 per cent attendance of representatives from affiliated full-length and one-act festivals. All outgoing officers were re-elected as follows: Hon. President, Jerome Stack, Castleisland; Hon. Vice President, Brian Sullivan, Cavan; Hon. Chairman, Hugh Collins, Fermoy; Hon. Vice Chairman, Oliver McGrory, Derry and Hon. Treasurer, Maire Ni Riain, Limerick. The plans for the first phase of the development of the Dean Crowe Hall, where the finals are held, have been approved by Athlone UDC and tenders for the work are being invited.

Colm Kelly says: "The Theatre Trust tickets are selling well and the early draws will be on December 8th and 22nd with two more in January and February 1999. Deeds of the Trust have been signed and it has been granted charitable status. Things are moving in the right direction, but without any central Government funding, which is pretty disappointing."

Government funding has found its way to Mullingar, 30 miles away, however. And the Athlone Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms Mary O'Rourke T.D. performed the official opening ceremony of the Mullingar Integrated Arts Centre on November 19th.