The Glens Centre

What The Glens Centre does

The Glens Centre, legally North Leitrim Glens Development Company CLG, is a not-for-profit arts centre and registered Irish charity (CHY No. 10507, Company No. 192596) operating from a converted 1830 Methodist chapel in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim. Founded in 1992 and opened as a venue in 1994, the centre was established to drive cultural and economic regeneration in North Leitrim. Its physical footprint comprises a ~130-seat auditorium (converted in 2001), a newly built recording studio with Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Midas M32R/Dante and Focusrite Clarett infrastructure, a smaller studio space for hire, and a self-catering apartment for visiting artists.

The organisation serves four primary customer groups: professional and emerging artists (residencies, recording, rehearsal, co-productions), the local North Leitrim community (ticketed performances, workshops, youth theatre and Rock School), event organisers renting the auditorium or studio, and visiting performers and tourists using the apartment. Revenue derives from a mix of ticket sales via the TicketSolve platform, venue and studio hire, recording services, gift vouchers and donations processed through Stripe, supplemented by multi-funder grants from the Arts Council, Leitrim County Council, Pobal, PEACEPLUS, the British Council and others.

Programming covers theatre, music, comedy, dance, film, Irish-language events, cinema, and a dedicated youth programme including Junior and Senior Youth Theatre plus the Rock School summer school. The centre operates a 'performance laboratory' residency concept in which artists live in the community while developing work, including the joint Creative Exchange Residency with Leitrim Sculpture Centre (€3,600 per award, up to two per year) and the upcoming PEACEPLUS Arts & Film Training Camp 2026. Marketing and distribution rely on the website, newsletter, social media, the Arts North West radio programme on Ocean FM, TicketSolve online ticketing, and direct box office and phone enquiries (Tue–Fri, 10am–5pm).

Name

The Glens Centre

Legal name

North Leitrim Glens Development Company CLG

Website

https://theglenscentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Glens Centre is a not-for-profit arts venue in Manorhamilton, Ireland, housed in a converted Methodist chapel. It operates a 130-seat auditorium, professional recording studio, youth theatre, and artist residency programmes serving professional artists and the North Leitrim community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Rehearsal & Pre-Production Studios (Rehearsal Rooms, Backline) (MPAIAHAK)

Keywords

• Live performance venue
• Recording studio services
• Artist development programmes
• Community arts centre
• Venue rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manorhamilton

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to performances, shows, and events through the TicketSolve platform.
2. Venue Rental: Auditorium available for rent for events including concerts, meetings, seminars, workshops; studio space for meetings, training and workshops; self-catering apartment for visiting performers and tourists.
3. Donations: Accepts donations through website to support continued community service.
4. Recording Services: Provides recording facilities for music, radio drama, and podcast production.
5. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for shows and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Glens Centre presents live arts events (theatre, music, comedy, dance, film, children's events, Irish language events, and cinema) and provides rehearsal, recording, and development supports for artists and young people. It operates a 130-seat auditorium in a converted Methodist church together with a professional recording studio, artist residency and development programmes, youth theatre, an annual Rock School summer programme, venue rental services, and self-catering accommodation for visiting performers.

Product overview

The Glens Centre is an arts centre and cultural venue in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland, operating from a converted Methodist church built in 1830. The organisation offers a single integrated venue with multiple interconnected services: its core offering is the auditorium/performance space (seating 130) with professional sound and lighting technical facilities, supplemented by recording studios for music and radio production, flexible rental spaces, and self-catering accommodation for visiting artists. The centre supports artists through its Artist Development Programme (providing rehearsal space, auditorium access, and recording facilities), Artists' Residency Programme (in partnership with Leitrim Sculpture Centre), and annual Rock School summer programme. Programming extends to youth through Youth Theatre groups, community engagement via the Arts North West podcast on Ocean FM, and ticketing for touring performances. The venue operates on a not-for-profit basis funded by Arts Council, Leitrim County Council, and community partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auditorium / Performance Space Main performance venue seating up to 130 persons with retractable raked seating, excellent natural acoustics, and superb technical facilities; used for concerts, theatre, comedy, dance, film, readings, and children's events. Audience-facing ticketed events and shows.
• Recording Facilities

Quantifiable outcome

• Prix Europa 2013 Best Radio Fiction Series winner for 'Fransisco'
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leitrim Sculpture CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with Leitrim Sculpture Centre for Creative Exchange: Research & Collaboration Residency programme supporting artists from different artforms for interdisciplinary research and collaboration. Up to 2 awards per year at €3,600 each.
• Create (Arts Council)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organisation for Festivals Connect programme. Thrive facilitating co-design focus groups at The Glens Centre to understand needs of festival workers.
• Thrive (Research Specialists)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch specialists for arts and heritage facilitating Festivals Connect co-design focus groups at The Glens Centre.
• Harp MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning filmmakers delivering PEACEPLUS Arts & Film Training Camp 2026. Have directed actors such as Paul Mescal, Danielle Galligan and Eanna Hardwicke.
• Ocean FMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal radio station broadcasting The Glens Centre's Arts North West programme. Show airs Thursdays 9:30pm with Sunday repeat.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Riverbank Arts Centre: Regional arts centre in Newbridge, Co. Kildare hosting theatre, music, comedy and film with a comparable small-team, multi-stream revenue model. Closely aligned in scale and operations to The Glens Centre.
• The Dock (Carrick-on-Shannon): Multi-purpose arts centre in Leitrim featuring a theatre, gallery, and studios. Operates in the same county as The Glens Centre with a comparable rural-Ireland arts-centre model and similar funding mix.
• Backstage Theatre: Small regional theatre in Longford town presenting professional and community programming. Comparable as a similarly-sized, grant-supported Irish regional venue with a comparable ticketed-events model.
• Hawk's Well Theatre: Regional presenting theatre in Sligo town serving the North West of Ireland. Closely comparable to The Glens Centre in scale, regional Irish theatre programming, and dependency on Arts Council funding.
• The Source Arts Centre: Multi-disciplinary arts centre in Thurles, Co. Tipperary combining a 300-seat theatre with gallery, studio and training space. Comparable Irish regional arts-centre model with similar funding dependency.
• Lime Tree Theatre: 510-seat theatre in Limerick operated in partnership with Mary Immaculate College. Comparable Irish regional venue with a presenting, community-engagement and venue-rental model, though at a larger scale.
• glór (Ennis): Clare County Council-operated arts centre in Ennis featuring a 480-seat theatre and studio. Comparable Irish regional arts venue with a presenting, rental, and community-engagement model funded by Arts Council and local authority.
• Linenhall Arts Centre: Community arts centre in Castlebar, Co. Mayo offering theatre, music, visual arts, and outreach. Directly comparable in rural Irish scale, mixed programming model, and reliance on Arts Council and local-authority grants.
• An Grianán Theatre: Regional producing and presenting theatre in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Comparable as a North West Ireland venue producing and hosting drama, music, and community programmes with public-sector funding.

Regional players

• Tobar Arte (An Tobar): Small community arts and music venue in Kinlough, Co. Leitrim. Located in the same county as The Glens Centre and serving overlapping community audiences with concerts, recordings, and cultural events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-glens-centre

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Glens Centre