Saturday 1st July 2017

Summer
Arts
Festival
Guide
brought to you by

INSIDE Listings for summer festivals and events in every region of the country Must-see
performances at Irelands biggest festivals Hidden gems, island escapes, DIY art AND MORE
 Irish Independent
2 Saturday 1 July 2017

A festival for
every taste
Orlaith McBride, Director of the Arts Council, discusses the
value festivals bring to communities and visitors, and urges
everyone to experience something unique at a festival in
Ireland this summer

T
he Arts Council has support-
ed some of Irelands biggest
festivals since their inception.
One of the first festivals we
supported, founded in 1957,
was the Dublin Theatre Festival. Two
Galway festivals, the Galway Interna-
tional Arts Festival and the Clifden
Arts Festival, are 40 years old this year,
and the Arts Council has supported
them both from their early days.
Our strategy, Making Great Art
Work, gives equal focus to artists
and public engagement in the arts.
Festivals provide the perfect platform
where artists and people connect, mak-
ing great art work with and for local
people, in their local communities.
The Arts Council supports all of
the main arts festivals, all around the
country, that people would be familiar
with: the Dublin Theatre Festival, the
Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, the
Kilkenny Arts Festival, Dublin Dance
Festival, Cork Midsummer Festival,
Clifden Arts Festival and Carlow Arts
Festival, amongst many others.
We are very proud of having been
involved in many of these well-estab-
lished festivals from the start. Our
support has allowed them to seek other
supports, whether from the state or
from the private sector. An event like
the Galway International Arts Festival
receives about 17pc of its funding from
Orlaith McBride, Director of the
Arts Council
All shapes and sizes
In addition to the many larger festivals,
the Arts Council supports many small-
er and mid-sized festivals throughout
the country whether they are just
starting out or well established. Over
155 small and mid-sized festivals re-
ceive grants of several thousand euro:
everything from the Ennis Book Club
Festival to Waterford New Music Week;
local communities in a very real way.
The economic impact of festivals is
incredibly important: people come to
an area to enjoy the cultural offering,
and they spend money. Festivals pro-
vide employment for artists and the
many others involved in making them
happen. But even more fundamental
than the economics, is the cultural,
artistic and social impact that festivals
offer. A successful festival brings a
pride in ones home place, enhancing a
sense of shared community; it provides
rich artistic experiences for audiences
as well as joy, energy and magic that
can transform an area.
Festivals help give people a greater
sense of place and identity, and at the
same time, they recognise that which
is different and special about a par-
ticular area of the country. They also
provide a great context for people to
travel to a specific place and experi-
ence something they may never have
experienced before and might never
get the chance to experience again.
The range of festivals available
across Ireland, offers something for
everyone, from literature to traditional
music, from street theatre to classical
music, from theatre to dance. They
provide us with moments of wonder, Casus Circus presents Driftwood, devised by the company, as part of
moments of reflection and moments the 40th Galway International Arts Festival
of laughter.
I hope you enjoy browsing this

the Arts Council, which is a contri-
bution of 500,000 but from that
the festival contributes 23.5 million
back into the local economy, in terms
of economic impact.
the Drogheda Arts Festival to File na
Bealtaine in Dingle; the Inis Mr Music
Festival to Doolin Writers Weekend.
All these festivals and others are highly
important to their local communities
and they enable artists to engage with
Festival Facts
special supplement featuring festivals
for every taste and in all regions of
Ireland. Youre sure to find something
near to you worth investigating or
something farther away that you wont
want to miss! One of the longest-running festivals in the country is the Dublin
Theatre Festival, established in 1957, hosting an eclectic programme
of homegrown and international drama.

Key Festival Figures

155
One of the youngest festivals is Cruth in Longford, established in
2013, which celebrates the wealth of artistic talent in the midlands
The number of small festivals region and animates the town with pop-up galleries, street art,

2004 The year the Arts Councils

Festivals and Events Scheme started
funded by the Arts Council in
2017
public arts projects and live music performances.
Two Galway festivals celebrate their 40th birthdays this year: the
Clifden Arts Festival and the Galway International Arts Festival.

2,015 Total number of small

1.2m
The total amount of investment in
Festivals in Ireland can generate between 5 and 20 times their Arts
Council grant for their local community.
festivals that have been supported by the small festivals this year
scheme
22 A BeCreative Editorial Production | www.becreative.ie

10.8m
The number of Editor: Ben Murnane
large arts festivals Arts Council Head of Festivals & Events: Karl Wallace
The overall amount of investment in funded by the Arts

5.8m
Council in 2017 Listings Compilation: Natalie Byrne, Regina OShea
small festivals since 2004
Additional Content: David Teevan

9
The total amount Agency Support: Amy Rose Harte and Aileen Gaskin, The Communications Clinic
- The number of artforms celebrated by Arts Council-sup- invested in large
Advertising: Eoin Healy (01) 705 5403
ported festivals: Theatre; Film; Music & Opera; Multidisciplinary festivals this year
Design: INM Design Studio, Belfast
Arts; Choral Singing; Literature; Dance; Spectacle; Visual Arts
Repro: Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Limited, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1
 Irish Independent
Saturday 1 July 2017
3

Arts Festival Guide Leinster

JULY
Scripts, Irelands Playwriting
Festival
13 - 16 July, Birr, Offaly
www.scriptsireland.com
Theatre / Literature
An innovative festival dedicated to
the development of playwriting in
Ireland.
Dublin International Piano
Festival
22 - 30 July, Dublin
www.pianofestival.ie
Music
Exciting performances, lessons,
masterclasses, and seminars
featuring an all-star line-up of
celebrated pianists.
Cruth Arts Festival
27 - 30 July, Longford
www.cruthuartsfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
A variety of art exhibitions, film,
music, and theatre performances in
Longford Town.
Big Bang Festival
28 - 30 July, Dublin
www.bigbangfestival.com
Music
A three-day festival of rhythm,
connecting musicians, workshop
facilitators and community groups.
young and old alike, with concerts,
workshops, tours and talks, as well
as a fine art exhibition.
Guth Gafa International
Documentary Film Festival
4 - 7 Aug, Kells, Meath
www.guthgafa.com
Film
Guth Gafa focus on showcasing the
latest award-winning international
and Irish documentary films
on thought-provoking subjects,
and promoting the art of great
storytelling through film.
Gap Arts Festival
11 - 13 Aug, Wexford
www.gapartsfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
Gap Arts Festival brings theatre
for adults and children to Wexford,
with workshops for all. The festival
includes music and late-night
outdoor fireworks.
Kilkenny Arts Festival
11 - 20 Aug, Kilkenny
www.kilkennyarts.ie
Mixed Artforms
A 10-day event, held every August,
with a strong reputation for its
music programme. As well as
music there will be theatre, dance,
literature, talks, exhibitions and
Music
Chamber music of the highest
international standard. Five
fantastic concerts, each with a
different outlook on the world of
music.
Dublin Fringe Festival
9 - 24 Sept, Dublin
www.fringefest.com
Mixed Artforms
Presenting new work by Irish artists
as well as international work,
the festivals eclectic programme
attracts audiences looking for
distinctive and innovative arts
experiences, especially in the areas
of theatre and performance.
Skerries Soundwaves Festival
11 - 24 Sept, Skerries, Dublin
www.skerriessoundwaves.com
Mixed Artforms
A platform for the many local
musicians and artists of Skerries, as
well as national and international
acts.
BlueFire Street Festival
16 Sept, Smithfield, Dublin
www.bluefiredublin.ie
Mixed Artforms
A celebration of Dublins diversity
and cultures, in Smithfield Square.
Activities are free, including
singing on these shores and beyond.
Takes places at The Teachers Club, 36
Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
Wexford Documentary Film
Festival
22 - 24 Sept, Kilmore Quay, Wexford
www.wexforddocumentaryfilmfestival.ie
Film
See award-winning national
and international documentary
films. The festival emphasises
films that explore social, political
and environmental concerns. All
screenings are free.
Dublin Theatre Festival
28 Sept - 15 Oct, Dublin
www.dublintheatrefestival.com
Theatre
Celebrating 60 years in 2017,
Dublin Theatre Festival is one of
the key events in the Irish arts
calendar. Each year it presents a
mixed programme of Irish and
international work both classic
plays and new writing.
Write by the Sea
29 Sept - 1 Oct, Kilmore Quay,
Wexford
www.writebythesea.ie
Literature
Offering an exciting array of creative
writing workshops, talks and
interviews across a wide variety of
genres, from crime fiction to travel
writing, poetry and music.
ONGOING
Music for Wexford
Jan - Nov, Wexford
www.musicforwexford.ie
Music
Music for Wexford stages a series
of concerts throughout the year
that represent an interesting and
sometimes unfamiliar repertoire,
performed by wonderful musicians.
Music for Wexford also has a
particular interest in promoting
young musicians and singers, and
this years summer lunchtime
concerts reflect that interest.
Drogheda International
Music Series
Sept-Mar, Drogheda, Louth
www.facebook.com/DICMS
Music
Provides local audiences with an
opportunity to hear the best national
and international musicians.

Maureen Culleton Summer

Secret Garden events!

Historical Harp Society of

School and Festival of Dance
31 July - 7 Aug, Ballyfin, Laois
www.facebook.com/maureen.
culleton.1
Traditional Arts
Learn and celebrate the music and
dances of Ireland. Workshops are
delivered each day in set-dancing,
traditional steps, sean-ns, social
two-hand dancing and cil dancing.
Each evening participants will put
their new routines to work at a cil!
AUGUST
Boyne Music Festival
4 - 6 Aug, Drogheda, Louth
www.boynemusicfestival.com
Music
Celebrating its fifth season a
dynamic weekend of chamber music,
poetry and song at Townley Hall.
The programme includes events for
Ireland
16 - 22 Aug, Kilkenny
www.irishharpschool.com
Traditional Arts
The fifteenth annual Summer School
of Early Irish Harp.
Dublin Live Art Festival
17 - 20 Aug, Dublin
www.dublinliveartfestival.com
Visual Arts
Visitors to DLAF will be surprised,
stimulated, inspired, moved, stirred
and shaken up by the dynamic
programme with a range of gallery,
historic and on-street sites, theres
something for everyone.
SEPTEMBER
Music in Monkstown
8 - 10 Sept, Monkstown, Dublin
www.musicinmonkstown.ie
concerts by some of Irelands best
bands, unique workshops, arts and
crafts, games and more!
Five Festivals for...
New Ross Piano Festival
20 - 24 Sept, New Ross, Wexford
Learning and Doing
www.newrosspianofestival.com
Music Art Culture Life, Cork City A week-long childrens singing festival
New Ross Piano Festival welcomes accommodating 300 children, supported by a team of enthusiastic and
pianists from Japan, Korea, China, experienced singers and music teachers.
the USA and many European
Frank Harte Festival, Dublin City A three-day festival for people
countries. Each year there is
who like to sing and listen to traditional Irish songs and singing.
an element of chamber music
sometimes a string quartet, Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, Miltown Malbay, Co Clare A week
sometimes a string trio, and even of workshops, tuition and informal mentoring, where the craft of Irish
orchestras! But always with the music is passed to the next generation.
piano.
Scripts, Irelands Playwriting Festival, Birr, Co Offaly Workshops in
Frank Harte Festival Playwriting for adults and children, facilitated by a team of award-win-
22 - 24 Sept, Dublin ning writers and theatre makers.
www.goilin.com/fhf/index.php
Write by the Sea, Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford Offering workshops
Traditional Arts
with published authors for aspiring writers across multiple genres.
Founded by An Giln Traditional
Singers Club, the Frank Harte Festival For full details of these and many more great festivals in this area, see the
first took place 11 years ago. It has main listings on these pages
become a major focus for traditional

BlueFire Street Festival, Dublin BlueFire Street Festival, Dublin BlueFire Street Festival, Dublin Emmet Kirwan in RIOT at Dublin Fringe
Festival 2016

Panti in RIOT at Dublin Fringe Festival 2016 ZOO at Dublin Fringe Festival 2016 Artist Dara McGee finishing a mural painted Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band, Kilkenny
by children on the wall of Ballythomas Arts Festival 2016
School, as part of Gap Arts Festival, Wexford
 Irish Independent
4 Saturday 1 July 2017

Arts Festival Guide Munster

JULY
West Cork Chamber Music
Festival
30 June - 8 July, Bantry, Cork
www.westcorkmusic.ie
Music
This festival includes daytime
and evening concerts, as well as
masterclasses and workshops by
some of the worlds finest musicians,
in a number of special venues in the
beautifully scenic west Cork setting.
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
1 - 9 July, Miltown Malbay, Clare
www.scoilsamhraidhwillieclancy.com
Traditional Arts
This summer school has a 10-day
programme of events, including
classes, lectures, cilithe, publication
and recording launches, instrument-
making and repairing workshops, daily
recitals, and a major concert.
Clonmel Junction Festival
3 - 9 July, Clonmel, Tipperary
www.junctionfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
Live music, theatre, street
performance, comedy, visual art, food
events and sheep.
Ennis Street Arts Festival
3 - 9 July, Ennis, Clare
www.ennisstreetartsfestival.com
Street Arts
Ennis becomes a hub for children and
adults to explore their artistic side,
with childrens workshops, poetry,
theatre, visual arts, comedy, street
entertainment, the Art and Craft
Market and a duck race!
Askeaton Welcome to the
Neighbourhood
3 - 15 July, Askeaton, Limerick
www.askeatonarts.com
Visual Arts
An annual residency programme
from the Askeaton Arts Commission
entitled Welcome to the
Neighbourhood, situates Irish and
international artists in the midst of
Askeaton with thematic exhibitions,
publications and events.
Art Life Culture
5 - 14 July, Cork City
www.summersing.ie / www.
artlifeculture.ie
Young People, Children & Education
A week-long childrens singing festival
which sees 300 children take part in
open-air warm-ups and impromptu
public performances, with the festival
encouraging self-esteem and self-
expression.
West Cork Literary Festival
14 - 23 July, Bantry, Cork
www.westcorkmusic.ie/literaryfestival
Literature
An extensive programme of readings,
Beara Arts Festival
23 July - 5 Aug, Beara, Cork
www.bearaartsfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
This festival celebrates the visual arts,
music and literature, with exhibitions,
installations and artists talks, while
emphasising newly commissioned
work by artists from Beara.
Cork Puppetry Festival
30 July - 7 Aug, Cork City
www.corkpuppetryfestival.com
Young People, Children & Education
Dowtcha Puppets, Corks puppet
specialists, have organised Irelands
only puppet festival featuring
shows, workshops, film screenings,
and puppet picnics. Youll experience
the best of Irish and international
puppetry.
AUGUST
Kilrush Traditional Music and
Set Dancing Festival
1 - 6 Aug, Kilrush, Clare
www.iomst.ie/event/kilrush-
traditional-music-set-dancing-festival
Traditional Arts
Open-air cils in Kilrush Square,
music sessions, sean-ns and set
dancing workshops taking place
throughout the town. There will also
be a musical boat trip to Scattery
Island.
Spraoi International Street
Arts Festival
4 - 6 Aug, Waterford City
www.spraoi.com
Spectacle / Street Arts
This festival devoted to street art has
become a firm favourite among locals
and tourists alike, attracting over
100,000 people to Waterford City.
Waterfords narrow medieval streets,
squares, quays and historic buildings
provide an atmospheric backdrop to
an array of international street artists,
performers and musicians who will
be performing all over city for free!
Terryglass Arts Festival
16 - 20 Aug, Terryglass, Tipperary
www.terryglassartsfestival.ie
Mixed Artforms
A variety of arts events, dramatic
performances, visual arts experiences,
and many different workshops to learn
something new.
Waterford Walls International
Street Art Festival
17 - 20 Aug, Waterford City
www.waterfordwalls.ie
Street Arts
Waterford Walls invites over 30 street
artists to transform Waterfords walls
turning the city into an open-air
gallery.
Spoken Word ONGOING
This festival invites some of the most
accomplished storytellers from around Fiction at the Friary
the world to Cork and creates a great Last Sunday of every month, Cork City
programme of story swaps, concerts, www.facebook.com/fictionatthefriary
historical walks and talks every year. Literature
A series of free monthly fiction events,
Elemental Arts & Culture with readings by guest authors,
Festival followed by an optional writing
8 - 10 Sept, Limerick City exercise, and finishing with an open
www.elementalfestival.com mic session.
Mixed Artforms Cashel Arts Festival 2016 artist
This festival presents many different Daniel Doyle creating a sand
types of art such as visual art, street sculpture. Photo: Denis Vahey
theatre, music, and crafts across the
city. It is also the first festival in Ireland
to have a Green Charter, committed
to protecting and enhancing the
environment.
Clonakilty International Guitar
Festival
20 - 24 Sept, Clonakilty, Cork
www.clonguitarfest.com
Music
A celebration of the guitar, with some Wig Wham Glam Band perform at Street entertainment at Cashel Arts
of the worlds greatest guitarists Cashel Arts Festival 2016. Photo: Festival 2016. Photo: Denis Vahey
descending on Clonakilty to play. Denis Vahey
There are also classes and seminars
taught by experts.
Cashel Arts Festival
21 - 24 Sept, Cashel, Tipperary
www.cashelartsfest.com
Mixed Artforms
A selection of contemporary arts
events including music, dance, visual
arts, literature, film and family events.
Drimoleague Singing Festival
Gloria Steinem and Sasha de Buyl Clonmel Junction Festival
22 - 24 Sept, Drimoleague, Cork
Pisco, West Cork Literary Festival 2016 #betheblacksheep
www.facebook.com/
DrimoleagueSingingFestival/
Music
A new festival in west Cork, which will
feature contemporary and traditional,
Irish and international singing talent,
with intimate gigs, a singing trail, pop-
up choirs and a gala concert.
Limerick Jazz Festival
22 - 24 Sept, Limerick City
www.limerickjazz.com
Music Waiting in the foyer before the Elemental, Limerick Arts Festival,
Limerick Jazz Society brings you Opening Concert, West Cork The Bookshop Band. Image by
the best Irish and international Chamber Music Festival Shane Serrano
contemporary jazz, taking place in
Dolans Restaurant and Live Music
Venue and the historic Belltable
Theatre.
Lay of the Land
22 24 Sept & 29 Sept - 1 Oct, Brow
Head, Mizen Peninsula, Cork
www.layoftheland.ie
Visual Arts
Six artists engage with the landscape at
Brow Head. During their time spent on
the tombolo headland, the artists will Tamar Beraia, West Cork Chamber Waterford Walls
develop and produce site-responsive Music Festival
sculptural installations and exhibit

Chamber Music on Valentia

them to the public.

Cork Folk Festival

talks and week-long workshops, as well
as evenings with writers such as Colm
Tibn and Graham Norton.
West Cork Fit-up Theatre
Festival
18 July - 13 Aug, Cork
www.fit-uptheatrefestival.com
Theatre
This festival stages new and original
theatre to provide rural communities
with an opportunity to sample some
of the wealth and talent professional
theatre has to offer.
Skibbereen Arts Festival
22 July - 31 July, Skibbereen, Cork
www.skibbereenartsfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
Music, film, performances, exhibitions,
artists-in-residence, and special sound
workshops for very young children.
18 - 20 Aug, Valentia Island, Kerry
www.chambermusiconvalentia.com
Music
This chamber music festival welcomes
Irish and international musicians,
bringing programmes of chamber
music and string orchestras to venues
all over Valentia.
Coming Home to Clare
20 - 26 Aug, Clare
Music
A mix of Irish traditional and modern
music, showcased in a number of
events.
SEPTEMBER
Cape Clear International
Storytelling Festival
1 - 3 Sept, Cape Clear Island, Cork
www.capeclearstorytelling.com
28 Sept - 1 Oct, Cork City
Traditional Arts
www.corkfolkfestival.com
Folk concerts with international,
cutting edge and established artists,
plus lectures, workshops, childrens
events and traditional set dancing.
OCTOBER
Make a Move
October (dates TBC), Limerick City
www.makeamove.ie
Dance / Street Arts
A hip hop festival which seeks to
capture the spirit of hip hop culture
and engage young people through
hip hop music, dance and urban art,
with performances and workshops
throughout the city.
Five Festivals for...
Street and Performance Arts
BlueFire Festival, Smithfield, Dublin An explosion of creativity on
the Smithfield Plaza, created by local communities and a team of artists,
to celebrate the multicultural reality of North Inner City Dublin.
Ennis Street Arts Festival, Ennis, Co Clare Outside the gallery,
away from the theatre; a festival of arts that live in the street.
Make a Move, Limerick City A celebration of the creativity of urban
youth through hip hop and street arts.
Dublin Live Art Festival, Dublin City A weekend on the edge, with
the growing community of artists that are dedicated to stretching the
boundaries of live art and performance.
Waterford Walls, Waterford City Turns the walls of the city into
a gallery, with street art mural artists working with communities to
transform neighbourhoods.
For full details of these and many more great festivals in this area, see the
main listings on these pages
 Irish Independent
Saturday 1 July 2017
Ten Festival Events
for Adventurers
For adventure seekers: a list of unique events that
will inspire and delight. A chance to get involved,
do something unexpected and see your landscape
differently
Expand your imagination
Hunting Fairies
3 - 9 July, Plum Orchard, The Apple Farm,
Clonmel
www.junctionfestival.com/events/2017/5/10/
sugar-plum-fairytrail
Go find a fairy in this intriguing trail where
you can witness little houses, swings and
clotheslines. Be sure to leave them a letter in
the post box too.
Eat, sing and be merry Home
with The Henry Girls
4 - 8 July, Malin, Donegal
www.eaf.ie/events/home-henry-girls/
Based in their home village of Malin,
Donegal, The Henry Girls will host five days
of songwriting workshops, cultural and
culinary tours, traditional pub sessions and
three special concerts.
A Trip to the Hairdressers In
Good Hands
9 July, Ennis, Clare
www.ennisstreetartsfestival.com/in-good-
hands/
A fun, quirky show of stories and songs
inspired by the world of hairdressers. An
immersive and interactive performance,
where audience members are treated as the
waiting clients of a busy hair salon.
Tuning In Dursey Island Discs
4 - 12 Aug, Beara, Cork
www.bearaartsfestival.com
Dursey Island Discs is a series of eight
downloadable podcasts featuring interviews
recorded on the island with individuals from
or associated with Dursey Island.
Ukranian Tales Counting Sheep
13 - 19 Aug, The Hub, Cilln Hill, Kilkenny
www.kilkennyarts.ie
This award-winning, explosive mix of
theatre, music, song and dance brings you
inside the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.
Waterford Spraoi Festival
Colm OSullivan, bass, Cormac Nugent, guitar
and Isabella Kinsella, drums Sligo Jazz
Project Youth Academy Concert. Photo: Lieve
Boussauw
5
Elemental, Limerick Arts Festival, Senmaru & Elemental, Limerick Arts Festival, Nelli Siebert,
Kyouji Daikagura. Image by Shane Serrano woolspinner. Image by Shane Serrano
Guerrilla Graffiti Waterford
Walls
17 - 20 Aug, Waterford City
www.waterfordwalls.ie
Street artists descend on Waterford, creating
an explosion of artwork on its old walls with
art demos, guided art trails, music, food
trails and much more.
Island Hopping Cape Clear Island
Stories
1 - 3 Sept, Cape Clear Island, Cork
www.capeclearstorytelling.com
Step on the ferry to Cape Clear Island and Elemental, Limerick Arts Festival, Icarus Yvonne McGuinness, Clonmel Junction
enjoy various events, from guided walks to Rood. Image by Shane Serrano Festival
set dancing, music and a storytelling boat
trip.
Camping with a Difference
Trophy
9 - 11 Sept, Barnardo Square, Dublin
www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/
trophy
Trophy lights up Barnardo Square on Dame
St with a pop-up city of tents for the opening
weekend of this years Dublin Fringe
Festival.
Poetic License Lines Learned by
Heart
17 Sept, Horans Bar, Portumna, Galway Norah OLeary of Ensemble Dagda - West Harpist Nancy Long on the Whiddy Island
www.shorelinesartsfestival.com Cork Chamber Music Festival Ferry - West Cork Chamber Music Festival
At this annual literary showdown in
Portumna, participants recite off by heart
poems written before 1937 to a packed, silent
audience.
Take a Bow The Suppliant Women
27 Sept - 1 Oct, Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
www.dublintheatrefestival.com
The acclaimed production by Actors Touring
Company and Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
(UK) is accompanied by a volunteer
community cast from each location where it
performs. To take part, details can be found
on the Dublin Theatre Festival website.
The Suppliant Women will play as part of the Waterford Walls Festival 2016: Joe Caslin
Dublin Theatre Festival
Turning Pirate Mixtape at Dublin Fringe Clifden Arts Festival Fairy Trail Clifden Arts Festival, Co Galway
Festival 2015
Sligo Jazz Festival. Photo: Lieve Boussauw Emilia Martensson, Sligo Jazz Festival 2016 Landmark Productions & Galway International
returning in 2017. Photo: Lieve Boussauw Arts Festival present Woyzeck in Winter
 Irish Independent
6 Saturday 1 July 2017

Arts Festival Guide Connacht

JULY
Galway Cathedral Recitals
6 July - 10 Aug, Galway City
https://recitals.galwaycathedral.ie/
home
Music
Galway Cathedral Recitals has
grown to become one of Irelands
premier summer concert series,
embracing a wide range of soloists
and ensembles.
Cairde Festival
9 - 15 July, Sligo
www.cairdefestival.com
Mixed Artforms
A celebration of cultural diversity
and inclusion. This year there is
an exciting selection of events,
including visual art, kids events,
comedy, spoken word, performance
and music from all over the
world. Sligo will transform into a
kaleidoscope of colourful fun and
entertainment!
South Sligo Summer School
9 - 15 July, Tubbercurry, Sligo
www.sssschool.org
Traditional Arts
A broad range of classes, workshops,
interactive talks and masterclasses,
as well as nightly cils, concerts and
informal music sessions.
Galway Film Fleadh
11 - 16 July, Galway City
www.galwayfilmfleadh.com
Film
Contemporary world cinema plus
premieres of new Irish cinema.
Carrick Water Music Festival
12 - 16 July, Carrick-on-Shannon,
Leitrim
www.carrickwatermusicfestival.com
Music
Five days of musical and artistic
discovery an exciting and
innovative line-up is planned, with
something to please all artistic
tastes.
Galway International Arts
Festival
17 - 30 July, Galway City
www.giaf.ie
Mixed Artforms
With a strong national and
international reputation as a
destination festival, this is one of
the premier mixed artform festivals.
Highlights for 2017 the 40th year
of the festival include comedians
Deirdre OKane and Jarlath Regan,
The Beach Boys Brian Wilson,
Tenors, Anna, Eddi Reader, John
B Keanes The Successful TD, and
Miriam OCallaghan in conversation
with Carole Coleman.
Scoil Acla
22 - 29 July, Achill Island, Mayo
www.scoilacla.ie
Traditional Arts
This summer school hosts classes in
the Irish language and traditional
Irish music, sean-ns singing and
dancing, and much more besides
with all levels being catered for.
Sligo Jazz Project
25 - 30 July, Sligo
www.sligojazz.ie
Music
Sligo Jazz Festival brings some of the
worlds leading jazz artists to Sligo
each year, to entertain crowds all
over town, and to inspire and educate
devotees of all ages and stages at a
summer school.
AUGUST
Leitir Mir Trad Fest
6 & 13 Aug, Connemara, Galway
Traditional Arts
Leitir Mir Trad Fest showcases
Connemaras repertoire and tradition
of sean-ns singing, dancing and
music in two concerts, as part of
Seachtain Cheoil Chois Fharraige
Festival.
Carrick-on-Shannon Childrens
Literature Festival
11 - 13 Aug, Carrick-on-Shannon,
Leitrim
www.wildwords.ie
Young People, Children & Education
The Wild Words Book is part of
Carrick-on-Shannons annual Wild
Words Festival, and features writing
by young adults from all over Ireland,
aged 14 to 18.
SEPTEMBER
Westport Festival of Chamber
Music
8 - 10 Sept, Westport, Mayo
www.classicallinks.ie
Music
High-quality chamber music in
distinctive venues and settings.
Shorelines Arts Festival
14 - 17 Sept, Portumna, Galway
www.shorelinesartsfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
East Galways premier boutique
arts festival, making use of intimate
venues and interesting locations. In
2017 the festival is marking its 10th
year, with highlights including singers
Julie Feeney and Jack ORourke.
Clifden Arts Festival
14 - 24 Sept, Connemara, Galway
www.clifdenartsfestival.ie
Mixed Artforms
The festival is celebrating its
40th birthday in 2017; it strikes a Megaloceros, created by artist-in- Shigeyama Family, Japan will
distinctive balance in presenting residence Donnacha Cahill, an audio perform their traditional Noh
significant artistic events matched visual installation based on the interpretation of Yeatss The Cat and
imaginatively to the local community. now-extinct Irish Elk, Shorelines Arts The Moon, Tread Softly, Sligo, 17-30
President Michael D Higgins will Festival 2016, Portumna, Co Galway July. Photo: Halca Uesugi
open the festival this year, and events
sure to prove popular include poetry
readings from Paul Durcan and Paul
Muldoon, music with the RT Concert
Orchestra and soloist Sir James
Galway, and comedy from Kevin
McAleer.
Westport Arts Festival
27 Sept - 1 Oct, Westport, Mayo
www.westportartsfestival.com
Mixed Artforms Clifden Arts Festival, Co Galway Clifden Arts Festival, Co Galway
This years festival offers a strong
and diverse selection of events to
appeal to all ages and tastes. As well
as literature, the festival offers music,
theatre, visual art, comedy, film
and craft from local, national and
international artists.
Inishbofin Set Dancing
29 Sept - 1 Oct, Inishbofin Island,
Galway
www.inishbofin.com Galway Film Fleadh Bernadine Casserly, De Dannan,
Traditional Arts Boyle Arts Festival 2015. Photo by
The Inishbofin Set Dancing and Trad Sean ODowd
Weekend sees the Connemara island
overflowing with dancers, musicians
and artists.
Inspirational Homes
29 Sept - 1 Oct, Leitrim & Sligo
www.inspirationalhomes.ie
Architecture
Green-Door hosts a weekend festival
packed with talks, tours, workshops,
exhibitions, and a unique opportunity
to visit homes not normally open to David ODoherty, Boyle Arts Festival Paddy Casey, Boyle Arts Festival 2016.
the public. 2015. Photo by Sean ODowd Photo by Brendan McGee
ONGOING
Over the Edge
Throughout the year, Galway City
http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.
blogspot.ie
Literature
A series of open readings in Galway
Library, giving established and
emerging writers a large audience for Clifden Arts Festival, Co Galway Fidget Feet Wired & Free, Clifden
their work. Arts Festival. Photo by P Howard

Five Festivals for...

international sensation Ladysmith
Black Mambazo, and performances of
Roddy Doyles Two Pints and Dublin
by Lamplight by Michael West/Annie
Ryan. Art Explorers
Tread Softly
17 - 30 July, Sligo Beara Arts Festival, Co Cork Visit the beauty of the Beara Peninsu-
www.treadsoftly.ie la, where art works are presented in site-specific locations against a
Mixed Artforms stunning Atlantic backdrop.
Run in conjunction with the Clifden Arts Festival, Co Galway Clifden Arts Festival, Co Galway
Cashel Arts Festival, Cashel, Co Tipperary Internationally renowned
renowned Yeats International
artists French & Mottershead will be working with local merchants
Summer School, Tread Softly
and their clientele to create unique work that will be on view during
celebrates Sligos and the Yeatss
the 2017 festival.
unique place in the Irish creative
landscape, with an exciting Inspirational Homes, Co Leitrim & Co Sligo A festival of architec-
programme of free events. ture, inviting audiences to visit modern homes and historical houses.

Boyle Arts Festival
20 - 30 July, Boyle, Roscommon
www.boylearts.com
Mixed Artforms
This has become a highly important
festival in the cultural calendar, with
a particular emphasis on visual arts
and music. Headline events for 2017
include Brian Kennedy, The Celtic
Lay of the Land, Co Cork A 10-day exhibition by six artists after their
two-week residency on the Mizen Peninsula in west Cork.
Welcome to the Neighbourhood, Askeaton, Co Limerick Over
two weeks, six Irish and international artists will work in the town of
Askeaton, engaging with the place, its history and inhabitants, culmi-
nating in a presentation day on Saturday July 15. Marwa Al-Sabouni takes part in the L-R Liane Carroll, John Goldsby, Sara
40th Galway International Arts Colman, Sligo Jazz Festival 2016 all
For full details of these and many more great festivals in this area, see the
Festival returning to teach and perform in
main listings on these pages
2017. Photo: Lieve Boussauw
 Irish Independent
Saturday 1 July 2017
Arts Festival Guide Ulster
JULY
Earagail Arts Festival
4 - 23 July, Donegal
www.eaf.ie
Mixed Artforms
Two weeks of music, theatre, visual
arts, film, literature, circus and carnival
on Irelands northwest Atlantic
seaboard. Earagail Arts Festival also
has the distinction of being a bilingual
(Irish and English) festival in a
Gaeltacht region. Highlights this year
include Ceol na Coille Summer School
of Irish Traditional Music, The Henry
Girls performing songs from their
extensive repertoire, and an exhibition
of work on the subject of architecture
by Donegal-born, Danish-based artist
Eamon OKane.
Swell Festival
21 - 23 July, Arranmore Island, Donegal
www.swellfestival.com
Mixed Artforms
Photos from left to right - all courtesy of Earagail Arts Festival: Femi Kuti: Legendary Afrobeat Musician comes to McGrorys of Culdaff in 2017; LUxe: Revealing stories of illuminated
journeys in an Island Landscape as part of the Wild Atlantic Weekend; Aon: Dramatic Irish dance with a modern twist from former Riverdance principal dancer Breandn de Galla; Kindur:
The Adventurous Life of Icelandic Sheep - fantastical, immersive family fun
Swell Festival 2017 plays host to over
80 acts and presents creative writing,
dance, music, spoken word and visual
arts workshops, with a variety of
activities for all ages.
The Donegal Fiddle Summer
School
31 July - 4 Aug, Glencolmcille, Donegal
http://donegalfiddlemusic.ie/donegal-
fiddle-summer-school/
Traditional Arts
Features classes as well as a
programme of concerts, recitals
and talks. Organised by Cairdeas na
bhFidilir, established in the 1980s to
help promote the art of fiddle playing
in the Donegal tradition.
AUGUST
Carnstock Festival
18 - 19 Aug, Carndonagh, Donegal
www.facebook.com/carnstock
Music
7
Five Festivals for...
A two-day festival organised to feature
and promote live and original music
from bands and artists from the
northwest.
SEPTEMBER
Island Escapes and
Ceol na gCruach
1 - 3 Sept, Donegal
Remote Retreats
Traditional Arts Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, Cape Clear Island, Co Cork A
A celebration of the tradition of Irish truly unique festival celebrating storytelling, with contributions from
music in the Bluestack Mountains. around the world.
ONGOING Chamber Music on Valentia Island, Co Kerry Small, idyllic, spec-
tacularly beautiful and with an array of unique venues this island
North West Words destination is an exquisite location for a weekend of chamber music.
12 July, 31 Aug, 22 Sept, Letterkenny,
The Donegal Fiddle Summer School, Glencolmcille, Co Donegal A
Donegal
festival dedicated to promoting the art of fiddle playing, in the Donegal
www.northwestwords.com
tradition in an historic and scenic setting on the Atlantic coast.
Literature
A reading series promoting the best Gap Arts Festival, Ballythomas, Co Wexford A community arts
of spoken word, art and music in the festival with an exciting programme, bringing together the dispersed
northwest, at monthly events in Caf community from remote cottages in the hilly north Wexford hinterland.
Blend, Letterkenny.
Inishbofin Set Dancing Festival, Inishbofin Island, Co Galway Set
dancing, music aplenty, and the warmth of Connemara island hospi-
tality.
For full details of these and many more great festivals in this area, see the
main listings on these pages
Five Must-See Events from
the Big Summer Festivals
Swan Lake/Loch na hEala by Michael Keegan Dolan, July 5-8,
Clonmel Junction Festival, Co Tipperary A sensational dance theatre
reimagining of the classic story of Swan Lake in a rural Irish town,
with live music from Dublin-based trio Slow Moving Clouds, and the
inimitable Mikel Murfi performing multiple roles.
Constantinople & Ablaye Cissko, July 15, Letterkenny Regional
Cultural Centre, Earagail Arts Festival, Co Donegal One of the most
inspiring collaborations in global music, which brings together Iranian
trio Constantinople and Senegalese kora master Cissko.
Tristan and Yseult by Kneehigh, July 18-22, Galway Arts Festival
This new production, from one of the UK and Irelands most innovative
theatre companies, brings with it a lorry-load of 5-Star reviews and
social media buzz.
Schubert/Widmann Concert Series, Aug 16 & 19, Kilkenny Arts
Festival Two concert featuring the Irish Chamber Orchestra, with
conductor and composer Jrg Widmann, performing a selection of
Schuberts masterpieces and Widmanns own compositions.
Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan E Coyote, Sept 21-23, Abbey Theatre,
Dublin Fringe Festival A captivating cabaret theatre experience that
recounts the real-life struggles and triumphs of growing up transgender
in the Yukon territory of northern Canada.
For full details of these and many more great festivals in this area, see the
main listings on these pages
Find your way to
these great festivals
A selection of some of the smaller summer festivals taking place
throughout Ireland (see pages 37 for dates and more details)

1. West Cork Chamber Music Festival 13 7. Cruth Arts Festival

Bantry, Co Cork Longford Town, Co Longford
2. Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy 8. Skibbereen Arts Festival
Miltown Malbay, Co Clare Skibbereen, Co Cork
3. Ennis Street Arts Festival 30 9. Galway Cathedral Recitals
Ennis, Co Clare Galway City, Co Galway
4. Cairde Arts Festival 10. Sligo Jazz Festival
Sligo City Sligo City
5. Boyle Arts Festival 11. Carrick-on-Shannon Childrens
Boyle, Co Roscommon Literature Festival
6. Welcome to the Neighbourhood Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim
Askeaton, Co Limerick 12. Terryglass Arts Festival
Terryglass, Co Tipperary
13. Carnstock Festival
4 10 Carndonagh, Co Donegal
14. Chamber Music on Valentia
Valentia Island, Co Kerry
15 5 15. Scoil Acla
11 Achill Island, Co Mayo
16. Music in Monkstown
28 27 Monkstown, Co Dublin
7 17. Elemental Arts & Culture Festival
Limerick City
18. Skerries Soundwaves Festival
18 Fingal, Dublin
19. Shorelines Arts Festival
20 16 Portumna, Co Galway
9
20. Leitir Mir Trad Fest
19 Connemara, Co Galway
26 31 21. Waterford Walls
12 Waterford City
22. Cashel Arts Festival
2 3 Cashel, Co Tipperary
23. Lay of the Land
Mizen Peninsula, Co Cork
6 17 29 24. Wexford Documentary Film
22 Festival
Wexford Town, Co Wexford
25. Write by the Sea
24 25 Wexford Town, Co Wexford
21 26. Scripts, Irelands Playwriting
Festival
Birr, Co Offaly
27. Boyne Music Festival
14 Drogheda, Co Louth
28. Guth Gafa International
Documentary Film Festival
Kells, Co Meath
1 29. Historical Harp Society of Ireland
8 Kilkenny City, Co Kilkenny
23 The Arts Council 30. North West Words
70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, D02 NY52
T: +353 1 6180200 Letterkenny, Co Donegal
W: www.artscouncil.ie 31. Maureen Culleton Summer School
twitter.com/artscouncil_ie and Festival of Dance
facebook.com/artscouncilireland/ Ballyfin, Co Laois
instagram.com/artscouncilireland/