Summer is officially here and that means festival season is well and truly up and running. July kicks off with gigs in the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin, the Galway Film Fleadh and the West Cork Literary Festival among many other cultural and family events. This list will bring you right up to September so you’ll have no excuse for missing anything.
JULY
Iveagh Gardens gigs
July 4th-21st
This Dublin series features Van Morrison, Sugababes, Glen Hansard, Dropkick Murphys, Christy Moore, Pillow Queens, Passenger, Phoenix, Damien Dempsey and Paloma Faith. aikenpromotions.com
Irish Youth Dance Festival
July 6th-7th
Including a collaboration with Irish National Youth Ballet, bringing together young dancers aged up to 25. dublinyouthdance.com
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival
July 6th-13th
Including literary events with Adania Shibli in conversation with Louise Kennedy, street theatre by Joan Català, Chloe Loftus and Rodney Bell, and music by Boubacar Traoré. cairdefestival.com
Beauty & the Beast review: On the way home, younger audience members re-enact scenes. There’s no higher recommendation
Matt Cooper: I’m an only child. I’ve always been conscious of not having brothers or sisters
A Dublin scam: After more than 10 years in New York, nothing like this had ever happened to me
Willie Clancy Summer School
July 6th-14th
Traditional music, song and dance in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, with instrument and dance classes, lectures, workshops and céilithe. scoilsamhraidhwillieclancy.com
Galway Film Fleadh
July 9th-14th
This international festival brings together audiences and film-makers from around the world. Plus Junior Film Fleadh screenings and events, with Kneecap opening and Palestine selected as the country of focus. galwayfilmfleadh.com
Sult Féile
July 12th-13th
Music festival in the heart of the Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht, Co Donegal, features performances from Example, Bell X1, Alabama 3, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Kimmic and Welshy. sultfeile.ie
West Cork Literary Festival
July 12th-19th
Workshops, readings, events for children and more, all in Bantry. Featuring Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín, Miriam Margolyes, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Adania Shibli and David Nicholls. westcorkmusic.ie
Earagail Arts Festival
July 13th-28th
Music, theatre, visual arts, film, literature, circus and more in Co Donegal. Including performances by Muireann Bradley and Boyfriends by Ultan Pringle, a pop-up Gaeltacht, circus arts of Catalunya, the traditions of Tory and stories of Arranmore. eaf.ie
Volvo Cork Week
July 15th-19th
More than 200 boats and 10,000 sailors and spectators will descend on the harbour town of Crosshaven for the biennial regatta and festival of maritime t where visitors come together to share their passion for the sea. corkweek.ie
Galway International Arts Festival
July 15th-28th
Irish and international theatre, opera, circus and visual arts. The Heineken Big Top includes gigs by Passenger, The Saw Doctors, Kneecap, Block Rockin Beats, Jess Glynne, Kettama and Gavin James. Theatre includes Reunion by Mark O’Rowe, Unspeakable Conversations by Christian O’Reilly and As We Face the sun by Kit Withington. giaf.ie
Forest Fest
July 19th-21st
The Co Laois festival features music from The Cult, The Human League, Ocean Colour Scene and The Divine Comedy, among others, plus family entertainment, circus and street theatre, drumming workshops, street food, craft beers, a cocktail bar and a funfair. forestfest.ie
Ulster Fleadh
July 21st-28th
Dromore, Co Tyrone hosts the Ulster Fleadh once more, with concerts and traditional sessions galore. Lead performers include The Whistlin’ Donkeys, Daoirí Farrell, the Knockmore Céilí Band and the Blackwater Céilí Band facebook.com/FleadhUlster/
Belfast TradFest
July 21st-28th
Traditional-music concerts, pub sessions and céilithe, plus a trad summer school with workshops, talks and lectures. belfasttradfest.com
Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival
July 27th-August 5th
Community-based, family-friendly festival with a wide variety of musical, cultural, sporting and artistic events, as well as the Mary from Dungloe competition, for which Irish diaspora communities from around the world nominate a young woman to represent their area. The winner, who holds the title for a year, acts as an ambassador for the festival, Dungloe and Donegal. Featuring performances from Daniel O’Donnell, Onóir and Humble Earthworms. maryfromdungloe.ie
AUGUST
All Together Now
August 1st-4th
The line-up at Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford, includes The Prodigy, The National, Jorja Smith, Róisín Murphy, Future Islands, James Vincent McMorrow, The Mary Wallopers, Natasha Bedingfield and Kingfishr, alongside Tommy Tiernan and Panty Bliss at Brunch on the Bandstand. alltogethernow.ie
Healing Spirit Festival
August 2nd-4th
An alcohol- and drug-free music, art, food and holistic festival in Cavan’s lakelands. drummanyspirit.com
Spraoi International Street Arts Festival
August 2nd-4th
Hundreds of artists and musicians from around the world perform in a festival headlined by the parade for more than 20,000 spectators on Waterford city’s medieval streets. spraoi.com
Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival
August 2nd-10th
Visual arts, theatre, music, street theatre, pop-up performers, workshops, exhibitions and more, together with a range of community events. birrvintageweek.com
Kilkenny Arts Festival
August 8th-18th
Includes the Irish premiere of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Drone Mass, Irish Chamber Orchestra’s premiere of a new work by Errollyn Wallen, and a European premiere double bill from Irish National Opera. kilkennyarts.ie
Waterford Walls
August 9th-18th
Ireland’s largest international street-art festival features spectacular murals, plus workshops and guided tours. wallsproject.ie
Cork on a Fork Fest
August 14th-18th
A five-day showcase of culinary excellence. corkcity.ie
Chamber Music on Valentia
August 15th-18th
The pianist Mary Dullea curates four days of concerts, workshops and opportunities to work with the festival’s international musicians. chambermusiconvalentia.com
Electric Picnic
August 16th-18th
Ireland’s best-known weekend music festival takes over the grounds of Stradbally Hall, in Co Laois. Acts include headliners Noah Kahan, Calvin Harris and Kylie Minogue, alongside Gerry Cinnamon, Kodaline, Raye, The Wolfe Tones, Kneecap, Jazzy and more. electricpicnic.ie
Masters of Tradition
August 21st-25th
Musicians across the spectrum of Irish traditional music perform in Bantry, west Cork, curated by the fiddle player Martin Hayes. westcorkmusic.ie
Dunmore East Festival of Bluegrass
August 22nd-25th
The Co Waterford town provides a seaside backdrop for the celebration of bluegrass and country music. discoverdunmore.com
Another Love Story
August 23rd-25th
Music, art, conversation, food and more at 18th-century Killyon Manor, Co Meath. Featuring Grandbrothers, Muireann Bradley, Mildlife, Leafar Legov and Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, among others. anotherlovestory.ie
Wider Than Pictures
23rd – 27th August
Series of shows in the courtyard of Collins Barracks in Dublin featuring artists including James Blunt, The The and Deacon Blue. widerthanpictures.ie
Desmond O’Halloran Music Weekend
August 30th-September 1st
Traditional, roots and folk sessions from young and established Bofin, Connemara and Galway musicians, plus notable friends and guests. inishbofin.com
SEPTEMBER
Dublin Fringe Festival
September 7th-22nd
Hundreds of performers in dozens of shows, many of them premieres. fringefest.com
