With Fiach Mac Conghail, Madeline D'Arcy and Katie Verling

Madeleine D'Arcy

Writer and winner of the Hennessy XO Award

Festival season starts for us with the Midsummer Festival in Cork. We always think it is one of the great democratic festivals of Ireland, because there is a lot of free stuff and also many international acts coming over. The events that catch my eye are the Corcadorca show called Plasticine,and also the annual picnic in the park.

I’m going to try to get to some of the West Cork Literary Festival, in particular Philip Ó Ceallaigh’s reading and we will try to see Michael Palin and Fay Weldon also. The gig that catches my eye is Chic playing the Savoy in Cork this Thursday night.

Later in the summer, I really want to see Tony Bennett at the Marquee. He’s a smoothie but a goodie and still going strong at 84. How bad, as they say in Cork!

Fiach Mac Conghail

Director of the Abbey Theatre

The problem we have this year is that you’d need to be able to master the art of bi-location for certain times of the summer. For example: during the June Bank holiday, there’s the Flat Lake Festival, the Writers’ Week in Listowel and also the Dublin Writers Festival all happening at the same time. The board of the Abbey are meeting in Listowel so I’ll get to some of that. I think the Cork Midsummer Festival seems to be really strong this year. Philip Glass is one I’m looking forward to and anything by Corcadorca and Pat Kiernan is also a must. The next one for me would be the Galway Arts Festival.

It has a world premiere by Enda Walsh – a Greek tragedy set in swimming pool. The great thing about being a father is that you get to see gigs you’d normally be too embarrassed to see. I saw Pink in Paris last year with my daughter and we’re going again to the RDS in June. Then there’s Leonard Cohen in Lissadell.

In terms of visual arts, I’d like to see the new Model Arts Centre in Sligo while I’m up at the Leonard Cohen gig. There’s great energy coming out of Sligo at the moment.

Katie Verling 

Director of Glór Irish Music Centre

I'm looking forward to the RHA exhibition in Ely Place. It opened this week and runs until the middle of June. Apparently it's a particularly good show this year, so I'm looking forward to seeing emerging as well as established artists. The opening of Rough Magic's production of The Importance of Being Earnestis the week after next and stars Stockard Channing. I loved the West Wing, and I felt like I was involved in politics for hours after it. I think it will be fascinating to see what Lynne Parker does with the show. More locally, I love the Willie Clancy week in Miltown Malbay, especially meeting all the musicians and hearing the music on the streets. After the classes at mid- day, you see gangs of kids on the street playing tin whistles or boxes. There's a real sense of committed activity and enjoyment.