Victor and Gord
My first festival

Victor and Gord

Fri 6th Aug - Tue 10th Aug
Cleere’s

You know those friends you grew up with? Went to school with? Laughed, cried, partied and pulled with? D’you ever wonder, sometimes, if they’d ever just f**k off?

Sold Out

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The Smile Off Your Face
My surprising festival

The Smile Off Your Face

Fri 6th Aug - Tue 10th Aug
Rothe House

The Smile Off Your Face offers a totally unique experience, for one person at a time. Everything happens only in your head, and yet it doesn’t…

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Where did it all go right?
My first festival

Where did it all go right?

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 8th Aug
The Left Bank

ponydance, Belfast’s champions of comedy dance theatre, serve up an outrageous confection of moves and movement to a soundtrack of garish music and nervous tension. You’ll laugh and cringe!

Sold Out

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Group Therapy for One
My inspiring festival

Group Therapy for One

Wed 11th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Cleere’s

Shane Byrne invites you to help him solve the problems of being a young man in the world today.

Sold Out

event details

A Western
My alternative festival

A Western

Wed 11th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Kyteler’s Inn

Armed only with cowboy hats and some ketchup, Action Hero celebrate the failure of generic heroes, cheap whores and the all-American idol.

Sold Out

event details

Susan & Darren: an event with dancing
My inspiring festival

Susan & Darren: an event with dancing

Thu 12th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
The Watergate Theatre

Join Susan and Darren as they prepare to throw one of their famous parties, complete with dancing, devastation, intimate conversation and a lovely buffet.

Sold Out

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Foot Washing for the Sole
My inspiring festival

Foot Washing for the Sole

Fri 13th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
The Hole in the Wall

Live artist Adrian Howells brings to Kilkenny an intimate, one-to-one performance that offers to restore a sense of peace to our frantic lives.
 

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Antti Siirala
My first festival

Antti Siirala

One of the outstanding pianists of his generation, Antti Siirala presents a breathtaking programme climaxing with Chopin’s Ballades, some of the most challenging pieces in the piano repertoire.

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RTÉ Concert Orchestra
My first festival

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Always one of the most popular events at the festival, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra brings its unrivalled repertoire to St Canice’s Cathedral for a concert featuring wonderful Irish mezzo-soprano Anne Marie Gibbons.

Sold Out

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The Cardinall’s Musick
My inspiring festival

The Cardinall’s Musick

Sat 7th Aug
The Black Abbey

Gramophone Award-winners The Cardinall’s Musick play Tudor masterpieces by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

Sold Out

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Thomas Dunford
My inspiring festival

Thomas Dunford

Sun 8th Aug
The Parade Tower

Virtuoso lutenist Thomas Dunford plays pieces by the great French composers from the era of the Sun King.

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Façade: an entertainment for reciter and six instruments
My alternative festival

Façade: an entertainment for reciter and six instruments

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Critically-acclaimed Irish actor Barry McGovern joins Ensemble Nouveau for Façade, a reading of Edith Sitwell’s quirky, witty poems accompanied by William Walton’s playful music.

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Aileen Itani & Rachel Andrist
My surprising festival

Aileen Itani & Rachel Andrist

Outstanding young soprano Aileen Itani joins pianist Rachel Andrist to explore the rich world of fin de siècle French song, featuring works by Fauré and Debussy.

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Mark Anthony McGrath & Christian Wilson
My surprising festival

Mark Anthony McGrath & Christian Wilson

Guitarist Mark McGrath and organist Christian Wilson bring their unique blend of celtic and baroque-inspired music to St Canice’s for a special evening of familiar and rare songs.

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To an Isle in the Water
My first festival

To an Isle in the Water

Tue 10th Aug
Set Theatre

New York composer Ellen Mandel plays her own delightful settings of the poetry of ee cummings, WB Yeats, Seamus Heaney and others, sung by baritone Robert Gildon.

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Maarten Koningsberger & Finghin Collins
My inspiring festival

Maarten Koningsberger & Finghin Collins

Acclaimed Irish pianist Finghin Collins joins forces with baritone Maarten Koningsberger for a very special recital featuring Schumann’s glorious song cycle Dichterliebe.

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Maria Ryan & Ciara Moroney
My first festival

Maria Ryan & Ciara Moroney

Award-winning Kilkenny violinist Maria Ryan and pianist Ciara Moroney bring an eclectic programme to St Canice’s, from Bach’s sonatas to Arvo Pärt’s masterpiece, Fratres.

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Meta3 String Quartet
My inspiring festival

Meta3 String Quartet

The rising stars of the international chamber music scene play pieces by Haydn and Schumann.

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The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra
My first festival

The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra

Choral singers from far and wide gather for a rousing performance in St Canice’s, featuring celebrated tenor Christopher Lemmings, baritone Raitis Grigalis and mezzo-soprano Bridget Knowles.

Sold Out

event details

Lendvai String Trio
My inspiring festival

Lendvai String Trio

Sun 15th Aug
The Parade Tower

An exciting programme of string trios, featuring one of Beethoven’s masterpieces, played by dynamic young group the Lendvai String Trio.

Sold Out

event details

Festival Mass
My first festival

Festival Mass

A special Festival Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, sung by the choir of St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast.

Sold Out

event details

Ale Möller Band
My surprising festival

Ale Möller Band

Fri 6th Aug
Set Theatre

Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller brings his cosmopolitan band to the Set Theatre for a potent mix of folk songs from all over the world, infused with drama and played with passion.

Sold Out

event details

Innisfree Céilí Band
My first festival

Innisfree Céilí Band

Sat 7th Aug
Set Theatre

With reels and jigs played with passion and flair, the Innisfree Céilí Band are guaranteed to get your feet moving.

Sold Out

event details

Michael Buckley’s Dublin Standard Time
My alternative festival

Michael Buckley’s Dublin Standard Time

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Led by Ireland’s finest saxophonist, Michael Buckley, Dublin Standard Time brings a full-blooded, old-school approach to the great jazz songs of the last century.

Sold Out

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The Kilkenny County Session
My first festival

The Kilkenny County Session

Mon 9th Aug
Set Theatre

The Kilkenny County Session celebrates the strength of the county’s traditional music scene with a line-up of outstanding singers, storytellers and musicians. A must for anyone with an interest in Kilkenny music.

Sold Out

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Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal and Debashish Bhattacharya & Subhasis Bhattacharya
My inspiring festival

Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal and Debashish Bhattacharya & Subhasis Bhattacharya

A double bill featuring two extraordinary collaborations. Brothers Debashish and Subhasis Bhattacharya merge classical Indian music with slide guitar blues, while Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal offer a hypnotic blend of cello and kora.

Sold Out

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Evan Christopher’s Django a la Creole
My surprising festival

Evan Christopher’s Django a la Creole

Wed 11th Aug
Set Theatre

The great clarinetist Evan Christopher plays the hot, infectious rhythms of New Orleans with his groundbreaking quartet, Django à la Créole.

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Andy Irvine
My first festival

Andy Irvine

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andy Irvine brings a dazzling mix of traditional Irish ballads and Balkan dance tunes to St. Canices Cathedral in a live show to savour.

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Konono No.1
My inspiring festival

Konono No.1

Fri 13th Aug
Set Theatre

Congolese band Konono No.1 sound like nothing else in African music. Their raw, funky, exuberant sound is sure to take the Set Theatre by storm.
 

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Tarab
My alternative festival

Tarab

Francesco Turrisi's exciting ensemble weaves together traditional music from Ireland and the Mediterranean.

Sold Out

event details

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan
My surprising festival

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan

In a show specially designed for the festival, the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra brings you an evening of wild sounds from the big band era, aided by acclaimed jazz vocalist Honor Heffernan.

Sold Out

event details

Fidil
My first festival

Fidil

Sat 14th Aug
Cleere’s

This dynamic young fiddle trio promise a barnstorming night in Cleere’s.

Sold Out

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Scullion
My first festival

Scullion

Sun 15th Aug
Set Theatre

Join folk rock band Scullion at the Set Theatre to round off the festival with a good old-fashioned party in the company of some of the acts you've seen this year

Sold Out

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Pierce Turner with support from Jennifer Evans
My inspiring festival

Pierce Turner with support from Jennifer Evans

Sat 7th Aug
The Parade Tower

Pierce Turner likes to throw everything into his performances, from table-dancing to singalongs. Now resident in Manhattan, this is a rare chance to catch one of Ireland’s great songwriters live, abetted by rising singer-songwriter Jennifer Evans. Anything could happen, and probably will.

Sold Out

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Public Seminar: The Future of Music Distribution & Promotion (chaired by Matthew Nolan)
My inspiring festival

Public Seminar: The Future of Music Distribution & Promotion (chaired by Matthew Nolan)

An open discussion challenging conventional thinking about the business of music, and exploring new ways of creating, promoting, and distributing it.

Sold Out

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Mick Flannery with Morton Valence & Catherine Dowling
My first festival

Mick Flannery with Morton Valence & Catherine Dowling

Mick Flannery burst onto the rock scene with White Lies and now he brings his heartfelt songs and full-throated delivery to St Canice's Cathedral, accompanied by the sultry Catherine Dowling and the indefinable Morton Valence.

Sold Out

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Erik Friedlander & FLM Ensemble
My surprising festival

Erik Friedlander & FLM Ensemble

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Celebrated virtuoso cellist Erik Friedlander explores the cutting edge of jazz and classical music in the company of Irish trio FLM Ensemble.

Sold Out

event details

Halves with The Ambience Affair, Ryan Taylor Doyle & Teffia Ki
My alternative festival

Halves with The Ambience Affair, Ryan Taylor Doyle & Teffia Ki

Thu 12th Aug
Set Theatre

Join us at the Set for a groundbreaking mix of cutting-edge music and visuals spearheaded by Halves, one of Ireland’s most exciting breakthrough acts.

Sold Out

event details

Damo Suzuki (followed by a DJ set from Donal Dineen)
My alternative festival

Damo Suzuki (followed by a DJ set from Donal Dineen)

Fri 13th Aug
Set Theatre

Damo Suzuki makes his own rules, and he's coming to the Set Theatre for an evening of improvisation in its purest form. This gig will be live, spontaneous, and unique. Be part of it.

Sold Out

event details

And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)
My alternative festival

And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)

Sat 14th Aug
Set Theatre

One of Belfast’s hottest, loudest properties, And So I Watch You From Afar are a force to be reckoned with. See them up close in the Set Theatre, where their monstrous chords and iron-clad riffs are sure to blow the roof off.

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Tindersticks with 3epkano
My inspiring festival

Tindersticks with 3epkano

A reinvigorated Tindersticks bring their passionate explorations of romance and masculinity and their distinctive, cinematic sound to St Canice’s in what promises to be the gig of the festival.

Sold Out

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Adrian Crowley with Valerie Francis
My surprising festival

Adrian Crowley with Valerie Francis

Sun 15th Aug
Set Theatre

Adrian Crowley makes a triumphant return to the festival clutching a hatful of awards for his latest album and accompanied by the beguiling Valerie Francis.

Sold Out

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Joseph O’Connor & Philip King
My first festival

Joseph O’Connor & Philip King

Musician and broadcaster Philip King and author Joseph O’Connor explore balladry and fiction in a delightful evening filled with stories and song.

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Gabriel Byrne On Screen
My first festival

Gabriel Byrne On Screen

Sat 7th Aug
Set Theatre

From adventure fantasy Into the West to the Coen brothers’ Miller’s Crossing and HBO’s award-winning new drama series In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne on Screen presents the finest work of one of Ireland’s greatest actors.

Sold Out

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Paul Durcan
My inspiring festival

Paul Durcan

One of the most original voices in modern poetry brings his celebrated reading style to the Watergate.

Sold Out

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The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture: Robert Fisk
My inspiring festival

The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture: Robert Fisk

Award-winning Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk looks back on his extraordinary career and casts a critical eye over the state of journalism today.

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John Boyne & Andrew O’Hagan
My first festival

John Boyne & Andrew O’Hagan

John Boyne, best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and Andrew O’Hagan, one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, take us on a fictional journey from revolutionary Russia to Marilyn Monroe’s bedroom.

Sold Out

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“Ireland’s Athletic Assault and Battery”?: Hollywood and Hurling
My first festival

“Ireland’s Athletic Assault and Battery”?: Hollywood and Hurling

Mon 9th Aug
Set Theatre

In this rare screening of short films from the 1930s, '40s and '50s, Dr Seán Crosson looks back on early Hollywood’s very singular take on the GAA.

Sold Out

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Ciaran Carson & Michael Coady
My inspiring festival

Ciaran Carson & Michael Coady

Tue 10th Aug
The Parade Tower

Two acclaimed Irish poets showcase their latest collections in the intimate setting of the Parade Tower.

Sold Out

event details

When I’m Sixty-Four: A Symposium on Pension Reform
My inspiring festival

When I’m Sixty-Four: A Symposium on Pension Reform

Wed 11th Aug

A panel of experts including Teresa Ghilarducci offer forward-thinking solutions to the pensions crisis in Ireland and beyond.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - "WHEN I'M 64: A SYMPOSIUM ON PENSION REFORM"  HAS BEEN MOVED FROM ST CANICES CATHDERAL TO THE PEMBROKE HOTEL, PATRICK ST.

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John Banville & Hugo Hamilton
My first festival

John Banville & Hugo Hamilton

A double bill featuring two of this island’s most distinguished novelists, John Banville and Hugo Hamilton, whose latest work features everything from Greek gods to Serbian immigrants in Dublin.

Sold Out

event details

Forty Years of Feminism: A discussion on where we were, where we are & where we’re going
My inspiring festival

Forty Years of Feminism: A discussion on where we were, where we are & where we’re going

A distinguished panel of speakers including Nell McCafferty and Margaret MacCurtain look back on Forty Years of Feminism in Ireland and ask what challenges lie ahead.

Sold Out

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I Can’t … I Can’t (Wedding Night)
My surprising festival

I Can’t … I Can’t (Wedding Night)

Fri 13th Aug
The Parade Tower

A unique opportunity to see this controversial film, not screened in Ireland since its premiere in 1969.

Sold Out

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Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann
My surprising festival

Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann

Sat 14th Aug
Set Theatre

A double bill of fresh fictional voices in the shape of journalist-turned-novelist Ed O’Loughlin and acclaimed Alaskan writer David Vann.

Sold Out

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surface & reality
My first festival

surface & reality

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of eleven contemporary artists in five locations through the city, including work by Turner Prize nominees Willie Doherty (nominated 1994/2003) and Susan Philipsz (nominated 2010).

Free

event details

Susan Phillipsz
My first festival

Susan Phillipsz

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Kilkenny Castle Park

Turner Prize nominee Susan Philipsz's sound installation in Kilkenny Castle Park pays tribute to Lucia Joyce, daughter of James Joyce and a passionate (but now forgotten) dancer.

Free

event details

Fergus Martin
My first festival

Fergus Martin

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"In my painting and sculpture, I try to find a shape that gives a feeling of ‘holding’ as much as possible. I often think of tanks filling up with water, of rivers rising to the brim."

Free

event details

Dennis McNulty
My first festival

Dennis McNulty

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Ormonde St. Car Park (Top Floor)

Dennis McNulty creates ‘situations’, space-specific sound performances or site-related installations, which he characterises as points of intersection between flows of various kinds – time, site, sound, narrative and audience.

Free

event details

Eoghan McTigue
My first festival

Eoghan McTigue

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Kitchen Corridor - Kilkenny Castle

The photographs in Eoghan McTigue's series Aerial Plane have a strange, otherworldly feel, like dark, monochromatic paintings.

Free

event details

Ciarán Walsh
My first festival

Ciarán Walsh

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Ciarán Walsh’s recent work investigates the legacy of maligned psychotherapist and scientist Wilhelm Reich.

Free

event details

Stephen Loughman
My first festival

Stephen Loughman

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

Stephen Loughman's series The Fisherman’s Widow investigates the notion of an artwork as witness to a crime.

Free

event details

Michael Coleman
My first festival

Michael Coleman

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"Around the Park is a series of twelve watercolours based on my time as an artist-in-residence in the Phoenix Park, Dublin."

Free

event details

Declan Clarke
My first festival

Declan Clarke

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Declan Clarke's Cologne Overnight considers the development of 20th century Western ideals through the ruins left in their wake.

Free

event details

Eithne Jordan
My first festival

Eithne Jordan

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

Eithne Jordan, one of Ireland’s leading figurative painters, explores the hidden and forgotten spaces of Europe's great cities.

Free

event details

William McKeown
My first festival

William McKeown

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"The paintings that I will be showing at Kilkenny have developed out of the theme of immersion that has preoccupied me for many years."

Free

event details

Willie Doherty
My first festival

Willie Doherty

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Twice Turner Prize nominee Willie Doherty's photography and video work draws on his native city of Derry to explore themes of individual and collective subjectivity, memory and responsibility.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls
My alternative festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls

Fri 6th Aug - Fri 24th Sep
Kilkenny County Council Arts Office

New works by internationally-renowned feminist arts group the Guerrilla Girls.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Featuring graphic work and paintings by three of Ireland's foremost artists.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of new work by the artist who introduced woodturning to Ireland.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 29th Aug

A vibrant exhibition featuring work by thirteen local artists.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 31st Oct
Butler Gallery

The first exhibition dedicated entirely to the amazing ‘Constructions’ of the renowned Irish artist, Tony O’Malley.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of work by four Kilkenny-based artists.

Free

event details

Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’
My first festival

Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’

Sat 7th Aug - Wed 20th Oct
The National Craft Gallery

Two exhibitions exploring the idea that jewellery is intrinsic to our lives.

Free

event details

Embracing Technology
My first festival

Embracing Technology

Sat 7th Aug - Wed 20th Oct
The National Craft Gallery

Showcasing the work of fourteen makers who are pushing the boundaries of their craft through the inventive use of materials and technology.

Free

event details

Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival

Sat 7th Aug - Mon 16th Aug
The National Craft Gallery

Featuring outstanding work from seven international makers.

Free

event details

Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Grennan Mill Craft School presents an exciting range of work from six artists.

Free

event details

Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny

Sat 7th Aug - Sat 14th Aug

Twenty-six of the finest craftspeople in Kilkenny display work inspired by the county.

Free

event details

Baghdaddies
My first festival

Baghdaddies

Sat 7th Aug

One of the most fun bands in this or any other universe, the Baghdaddies are sure to get your feet moving.

Free

event details

The Baad Mutha Funkas
My first festival

The Baad Mutha Funkas

Sat 7th Aug

Their jokes are as old as their hairstyles!

Free

event details

Donkey Feathers
My first festival

Donkey Feathers

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 8th Aug

A carnival of irreverent clowning and unpredictable fun!

Free

event details

Prince Mint and The Glam Chops
My first festival

Prince Mint and The Glam Chops

Sun 8th Aug

The vertically-endowed glam rock sensation!

Free

event details

Up Above
My first festival

Up Above

Sat 14th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Tina Machina and Kenneth Fall invite you to witness a beautiful disaster in mid air.

Free

event details

The Magic Cube

The Magic Cube

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 8th Aug
The Watergate Theatre

Two clowns discover a strange world made only of cubes in this wonderful clowning performance featuring horses, motorbikes, trains, castles, battles, love, laughs and even some tears.

Sold Out

event details

The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man

Sun 8th Aug
The Parade Tower

In this delightful rendition of the age-old tale, Miriam Lambert bakes the gingerbread, but the freshly-baked biscuit runs, eluding everyone’s hungry grasp, until he meets a very clever fox…

Sold Out

event details

Puppet-Making workshop with Miriam Lambert

Puppet-Making workshop with Miriam Lambert

An exciting opportunity to create your own puppet with puppeteer Miriam Lambert.

Sold Out

event details

Blenny, The Waterdaughter

Blenny, The Waterdaughter

Mack the lighthouse-keeper watches over a small fishing town and the ocean, but doesn’t feel part of either, not until the day a Blenny Fish follows him home!

Sold Out

event details

Children’s Craft Workshops

Children’s Craft Workshops

Tue 10th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
The National Craft Gallery

A chance to explore some of the materials featured in the exhibitions, including jewellery and textiles.

Sold Out

event details

Construct with Nature

Construct with Nature

Tue 10th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Butler Gallery

A chance to build your own colourful 'constructions', inspired by the Butler Gallery's Tony O'Malley exhibition.

Sold Out

event details

The Big Draw

The Big Draw

Design a character, make your own animation flip book and create a storyboard with the help of Fabian Erlinghauser and Roxanne Burchartz from the Cartoon Saloon (Oscar-nominated for The Secret Of Kells).

Sold Out

event details

The Billy Holiday Show

The Billy Holiday Show

Tue 10th Aug
The Parade Tower

Billy Holiday is the world’s most famous singing goat. Now she’s trying to help her friends to stardom, but can sheep really make it big in showbiz? The audience must decide…

Sold Out

event details

Parapapel

Parapapel

Wed 11th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Barnstorm Theatre Company

Using just the simplest of props, two friends create a whole world. Graceful, funny and endlessly inventive, Parapapel is a mesmerising show that will keep young children enthralled.

Sold Out

event details

Whispering Waves: Stories of the Sea

Whispering Waves: Stories of the Sea

Fri 13th Aug
The Parade Tower

In this enthralling storytelling performance, Joe Brennan reveals the secrets of the waves. Stories of adventure, mystery and love. Stories of silky seals, a drowning wave and strange creatures...

Sold Out

event details

On-Off

On-Off

Sat 14th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Barnstorm Theatre Company

At once a game, a dance, and an enchanting spectacle, On-Off helps young children overcome their fear of the dark and discover the language of light.

Sold Out

event details

Derek Landy

Derek Landy

Derek Landy, author of Skulduggery Pleasant (Irish Book of the Decade), comes to Kilkenny to talk about his life, his work, and his plans to build a private munchkin army.

Sold Out

event details

Liam Ó Maonlaí

Liam Ó Maonlaí

One of Ireland’s best-loved musicians and singers, Liam Ó Maonlaí brings you sean nós singing, rhythm, piano and soul in this intimate concert for all the family, young and old.

Sold Out

event details

Susan Phillipsz
My first festival

Susan Phillipsz

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Kilkenny Castle Park

Turner Prize nominee Susan Philipsz's sound installation in Kilkenny Castle Park pays tribute to Lucia Joyce, daughter of James Joyce and a passionate (but now forgotten) dancer.

Free

event details

Fergus Martin
My first festival

Fergus Martin

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"In my painting and sculpture, I try to find a shape that gives a feeling of ‘holding’ as much as possible. I often think of tanks filling up with water, of rivers rising to the brim."

Free

event details

Dennis McNulty
My first festival

Dennis McNulty

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Ormonde St. Car Park (Top Floor)

Dennis McNulty creates ‘situations’, space-specific sound performances or site-related installations, which he characterises as points of intersection between flows of various kinds – time, site, sound, narrative and audience.

Free

event details

Eoghan McTigue
My first festival

Eoghan McTigue

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Kitchen Corridor - Kilkenny Castle

The photographs in Eoghan McTigue's series Aerial Plane have a strange, otherworldly feel, like dark, monochromatic paintings.

Free

event details

Ciarán Walsh
My first festival

Ciarán Walsh

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Ciarán Walsh’s recent work investigates the legacy of maligned psychotherapist and scientist Wilhelm Reich.

Free

event details

Stephen Loughman
My first festival

Stephen Loughman

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

Stephen Loughman's series The Fisherman’s Widow investigates the notion of an artwork as witness to a crime.

Free

event details

Michael Coleman
My first festival

Michael Coleman

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"Around the Park is a series of twelve watercolours based on my time as an artist-in-residence in the Phoenix Park, Dublin."

Free

event details

Declan Clarke
My first festival

Declan Clarke

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Declan Clarke's Cologne Overnight considers the development of 20th century Western ideals through the ruins left in their wake.

Free

event details

Eithne Jordan
My first festival

Eithne Jordan

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

Eithne Jordan, one of Ireland’s leading figurative painters, explores the hidden and forgotten spaces of Europe's great cities.

Free

event details

William McKeown
My first festival

William McKeown

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"The paintings that I will be showing at Kilkenny have developed out of the theme of immersion that has preoccupied me for many years."

Free

event details

Willie Doherty
My first festival

Willie Doherty

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Twice Turner Prize nominee Willie Doherty's photography and video work draws on his native city of Derry to explore themes of individual and collective subjectivity, memory and responsibility.

Free

event details

Joseph O’Connor & Philip King
My first festival

Joseph O’Connor & Philip King

Musician and broadcaster Philip King and author Joseph O’Connor explore balladry and fiction in a delightful evening filled with stories and song.

Sold Out

event details

Victor and Gord
My first festival

Victor and Gord

Fri 6th Aug - Tue 10th Aug
Cleere’s

You know those friends you grew up with? Went to school with? Laughed, cried, partied and pulled with? D’you ever wonder, sometimes, if they’d ever just f**k off?

Sold Out

event details

The Smile Off Your Face
My surprising festival

The Smile Off Your Face

Fri 6th Aug - Tue 10th Aug
Rothe House

The Smile Off Your Face offers a totally unique experience, for one person at a time. Everything happens only in your head, and yet it doesn’t…

Sold Out

event details

Where did it all go right?
My first festival

Where did it all go right?

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 8th Aug
The Left Bank

ponydance, Belfast’s champions of comedy dance theatre, serve up an outrageous confection of moves and movement to a soundtrack of garish music and nervous tension. You’ll laugh and cringe!

Sold Out

event details

Ale Möller Band
My surprising festival

Ale Möller Band

Fri 6th Aug
Set Theatre

Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller brings his cosmopolitan band to the Set Theatre for a potent mix of folk songs from all over the world, infused with drama and played with passion.

Sold Out

event details

The Magic Cube

The Magic Cube

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 8th Aug
The Watergate Theatre

Two clowns discover a strange world made only of cubes in this wonderful clowning performance featuring horses, motorbikes, trains, castles, battles, love, laughs and even some tears.

Sold Out

event details

Antti Siirala
My first festival

Antti Siirala

One of the outstanding pianists of his generation, Antti Siirala presents a breathtaking programme climaxing with Chopin’s Ballades, some of the most challenging pieces in the piano repertoire.

Sold Out

event details

Baghdaddies
My first festival

Baghdaddies

Sat 7th Aug

One of the most fun bands in this or any other universe, the Baghdaddies are sure to get your feet moving.

Free

event details

The Baad Mutha Funkas
My first festival

The Baad Mutha Funkas

Sat 7th Aug

Their jokes are as old as their hairstyles!

Free

event details

Donkey Feathers
My first festival

Donkey Feathers

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 8th Aug

A carnival of irreverent clowning and unpredictable fun!

Free

event details

Gabriel Byrne On Screen
My first festival

Gabriel Byrne On Screen

Sat 7th Aug
Set Theatre

From adventure fantasy Into the West to the Coen brothers’ Miller’s Crossing and HBO’s award-winning new drama series In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne on Screen presents the finest work of one of Ireland’s greatest actors.

Sold Out

event details

Paul Durcan
My inspiring festival

Paul Durcan

One of the most original voices in modern poetry brings his celebrated reading style to the Watergate.

Sold Out

event details

The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture: Robert Fisk
My inspiring festival

The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture: Robert Fisk

Award-winning Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk looks back on his extraordinary career and casts a critical eye over the state of journalism today.

Sold Out

event details

Innisfree Céilí Band
My first festival

Innisfree Céilí Band

Sat 7th Aug
Set Theatre

With reels and jigs played with passion and flair, the Innisfree Céilí Band are guaranteed to get your feet moving.

Sold Out

event details

RTÉ Concert Orchestra
My first festival

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Always one of the most popular events at the festival, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra brings its unrivalled repertoire to St Canice’s Cathedral for a concert featuring wonderful Irish mezzo-soprano Anne Marie Gibbons.

Sold Out

event details

The Cardinall’s Musick
My inspiring festival

The Cardinall’s Musick

Sat 7th Aug
The Black Abbey

Gramophone Award-winners The Cardinall’s Musick play Tudor masterpieces by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

Sold Out

event details

Pierce Turner with support from Jennifer Evans
My inspiring festival

Pierce Turner with support from Jennifer Evans

Sat 7th Aug
The Parade Tower

Pierce Turner likes to throw everything into his performances, from table-dancing to singalongs. Now resident in Manhattan, this is a rare chance to catch one of Ireland’s great songwriters live, abetted by rising singer-songwriter Jennifer Evans. Anything could happen, and probably will.

Sold Out

event details

Public Seminar: The Future of Music Distribution & Promotion (chaired by Matthew Nolan)
My inspiring festival

Public Seminar: The Future of Music Distribution & Promotion (chaired by Matthew Nolan)

An open discussion challenging conventional thinking about the business of music, and exploring new ways of creating, promoting, and distributing it.

Sold Out

event details

Prince Mint and The Glam Chops
My first festival

Prince Mint and The Glam Chops

Sun 8th Aug

The vertically-endowed glam rock sensation!

Free

event details

John Boyne & Andrew O’Hagan
My first festival

John Boyne & Andrew O’Hagan

John Boyne, best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and Andrew O’Hagan, one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, take us on a fictional journey from revolutionary Russia to Marilyn Monroe’s bedroom.

Sold Out

event details

Michael Buckley’s Dublin Standard Time
My alternative festival

Michael Buckley’s Dublin Standard Time

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Led by Ireland’s finest saxophonist, Michael Buckley, Dublin Standard Time brings a full-blooded, old-school approach to the great jazz songs of the last century.

Sold Out

event details

The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man

Sun 8th Aug
The Parade Tower

In this delightful rendition of the age-old tale, Miriam Lambert bakes the gingerbread, but the freshly-baked biscuit runs, eluding everyone’s hungry grasp, until he meets a very clever fox…

Sold Out

event details

Thomas Dunford
My inspiring festival

Thomas Dunford

Sun 8th Aug
The Parade Tower

Virtuoso lutenist Thomas Dunford plays pieces by the great French composers from the era of the Sun King.

Sold Out

event details

Façade: an entertainment for reciter and six instruments
My alternative festival

Façade: an entertainment for reciter and six instruments

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Critically-acclaimed Irish actor Barry McGovern joins Ensemble Nouveau for Façade, a reading of Edith Sitwell’s quirky, witty poems accompanied by William Walton’s playful music.

Sold Out

event details

Mick Flannery with Morton Valence & Catherine Dowling
My first festival

Mick Flannery with Morton Valence & Catherine Dowling

Mick Flannery burst onto the rock scene with White Lies and now he brings his heartfelt songs and full-throated delivery to St Canice's Cathedral, accompanied by the sultry Catherine Dowling and the indefinable Morton Valence.

Sold Out

event details

Erik Friedlander & FLM Ensemble
My surprising festival

Erik Friedlander & FLM Ensemble

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Celebrated virtuoso cellist Erik Friedlander explores the cutting edge of jazz and classical music in the company of Irish trio FLM Ensemble.

Sold Out

event details

Puppet-Making workshop with Miriam Lambert

Puppet-Making workshop with Miriam Lambert

An exciting opportunity to create your own puppet with puppeteer Miriam Lambert.

Sold Out

event details

“Ireland’s Athletic Assault and Battery”?: Hollywood and Hurling
My first festival

“Ireland’s Athletic Assault and Battery”?: Hollywood and Hurling

Mon 9th Aug
Set Theatre

In this rare screening of short films from the 1930s, '40s and '50s, Dr Seán Crosson looks back on early Hollywood’s very singular take on the GAA.

Sold Out

event details

The Kilkenny County Session
My first festival

The Kilkenny County Session

Mon 9th Aug
Set Theatre

The Kilkenny County Session celebrates the strength of the county’s traditional music scene with a line-up of outstanding singers, storytellers and musicians. A must for anyone with an interest in Kilkenny music.

Sold Out

event details

Blenny, The Waterdaughter

Blenny, The Waterdaughter

Mack the lighthouse-keeper watches over a small fishing town and the ocean, but doesn’t feel part of either, not until the day a Blenny Fish follows him home!

Sold Out

event details

Aileen Itani & Rachel Andrist
My surprising festival

Aileen Itani & Rachel Andrist

Outstanding young soprano Aileen Itani joins pianist Rachel Andrist to explore the rich world of fin de siècle French song, featuring works by Fauré and Debussy.

Sold Out

event details

Mark Anthony McGrath & Christian Wilson
My surprising festival

Mark Anthony McGrath & Christian Wilson

Guitarist Mark McGrath and organist Christian Wilson bring their unique blend of celtic and baroque-inspired music to St Canice’s for a special evening of familiar and rare songs.

Sold Out

event details

The Big Draw

The Big Draw

Design a character, make your own animation flip book and create a storyboard with the help of Fabian Erlinghauser and Roxanne Burchartz from the Cartoon Saloon (Oscar-nominated for The Secret Of Kells).

Sold Out

event details

Ciaran Carson & Michael Coady
My inspiring festival

Ciaran Carson & Michael Coady

Tue 10th Aug
The Parade Tower

Two acclaimed Irish poets showcase their latest collections in the intimate setting of the Parade Tower.

Sold Out

event details

Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal and Debashish Bhattacharya & Subhasis Bhattacharya
My inspiring festival

Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal and Debashish Bhattacharya & Subhasis Bhattacharya

A double bill featuring two extraordinary collaborations. Brothers Debashish and Subhasis Bhattacharya merge classical Indian music with slide guitar blues, while Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal offer a hypnotic blend of cello and kora.

Sold Out

event details

The Billy Holiday Show

The Billy Holiday Show

Tue 10th Aug
The Parade Tower

Billy Holiday is the world’s most famous singing goat. Now she’s trying to help her friends to stardom, but can sheep really make it big in showbiz? The audience must decide…

Sold Out

event details

To an Isle in the Water
My first festival

To an Isle in the Water

Tue 10th Aug
Set Theatre

New York composer Ellen Mandel plays her own delightful settings of the poetry of ee cummings, WB Yeats, Seamus Heaney and others, sung by baritone Robert Gildon.

Sold Out

event details

When I’m Sixty-Four: A Symposium on Pension Reform
My inspiring festival

When I’m Sixty-Four: A Symposium on Pension Reform

Wed 11th Aug

A panel of experts including Teresa Ghilarducci offer forward-thinking solutions to the pensions crisis in Ireland and beyond.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - "WHEN I'M 64: A SYMPOSIUM ON PENSION REFORM"  HAS BEEN MOVED FROM ST CANICES CATHDERAL TO THE PEMBROKE HOTEL, PATRICK ST.

Sold Out

event details

Group Therapy for One
My inspiring festival

Group Therapy for One

Wed 11th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Cleere’s

Shane Byrne invites you to help him solve the problems of being a young man in the world today.

Sold Out

event details

A Western
My alternative festival

A Western

Wed 11th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Kyteler’s Inn

Armed only with cowboy hats and some ketchup, Action Hero celebrate the failure of generic heroes, cheap whores and the all-American idol.

Sold Out

event details

Evan Christopher’s Django a la Creole
My surprising festival

Evan Christopher’s Django a la Creole

Wed 11th Aug
Set Theatre

The great clarinetist Evan Christopher plays the hot, infectious rhythms of New Orleans with his groundbreaking quartet, Django à la Créole.

Sold Out

event details

Parapapel

Parapapel

Wed 11th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Barnstorm Theatre Company

Using just the simplest of props, two friends create a whole world. Graceful, funny and endlessly inventive, Parapapel is a mesmerising show that will keep young children enthralled.

Sold Out

event details

Maarten Koningsberger & Finghin Collins
My inspiring festival

Maarten Koningsberger & Finghin Collins

Acclaimed Irish pianist Finghin Collins joins forces with baritone Maarten Koningsberger for a very special recital featuring Schumann’s glorious song cycle Dichterliebe.

Sold Out

event details

John Banville & Hugo Hamilton
My first festival

John Banville & Hugo Hamilton

A double bill featuring two of this island’s most distinguished novelists, John Banville and Hugo Hamilton, whose latest work features everything from Greek gods to Serbian immigrants in Dublin.

Sold Out

event details

Susan & Darren: an event with dancing
My inspiring festival

Susan & Darren: an event with dancing

Thu 12th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
The Watergate Theatre

Join Susan and Darren as they prepare to throw one of their famous parties, complete with dancing, devastation, intimate conversation and a lovely buffet.

Sold Out

event details

Andy Irvine
My first festival

Andy Irvine

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andy Irvine brings a dazzling mix of traditional Irish ballads and Balkan dance tunes to St. Canices Cathedral in a live show to savour.

Sold Out

event details

Halves with The Ambience Affair, Ryan Taylor Doyle & Teffia Ki
My alternative festival

Halves with The Ambience Affair, Ryan Taylor Doyle & Teffia Ki

Thu 12th Aug
Set Theatre

Join us at the Set for a groundbreaking mix of cutting-edge music and visuals spearheaded by Halves, one of Ireland’s most exciting breakthrough acts.

Sold Out

event details

Forty Years of Feminism: A discussion on where we were, where we are & where we’re going
My inspiring festival

Forty Years of Feminism: A discussion on where we were, where we are & where we’re going

A distinguished panel of speakers including Nell McCafferty and Margaret MacCurtain look back on Forty Years of Feminism in Ireland and ask what challenges lie ahead.

Sold Out

event details

I Can’t … I Can’t (Wedding Night)
My surprising festival

I Can’t … I Can’t (Wedding Night)

Fri 13th Aug
The Parade Tower

A unique opportunity to see this controversial film, not screened in Ireland since its premiere in 1969.

Sold Out

event details

Foot Washing for the Sole
My inspiring festival

Foot Washing for the Sole

Fri 13th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
The Hole in the Wall

Live artist Adrian Howells brings to Kilkenny an intimate, one-to-one performance that offers to restore a sense of peace to our frantic lives.
 

Sold Out

event details

Konono No.1
My inspiring festival

Konono No.1

Fri 13th Aug
Set Theatre

Congolese band Konono No.1 sound like nothing else in African music. Their raw, funky, exuberant sound is sure to take the Set Theatre by storm.
 

Sold Out

event details

Whispering Waves: Stories of the Sea

Whispering Waves: Stories of the Sea

Fri 13th Aug
The Parade Tower

In this enthralling storytelling performance, Joe Brennan reveals the secrets of the waves. Stories of adventure, mystery and love. Stories of silky seals, a drowning wave and strange creatures...

Sold Out

event details

Maria Ryan & Ciara Moroney
My first festival

Maria Ryan & Ciara Moroney

Award-winning Kilkenny violinist Maria Ryan and pianist Ciara Moroney bring an eclectic programme to St Canice’s, from Bach’s sonatas to Arvo Pärt’s masterpiece, Fratres.

Sold Out

event details

Meta3 String Quartet
My inspiring festival

Meta3 String Quartet

The rising stars of the international chamber music scene play pieces by Haydn and Schumann.

Sold Out

event details

Damo Suzuki (followed by a DJ set from Donal Dineen)
My alternative festival

Damo Suzuki (followed by a DJ set from Donal Dineen)

Fri 13th Aug
Set Theatre

Damo Suzuki makes his own rules, and he's coming to the Set Theatre for an evening of improvisation in its purest form. This gig will be live, spontaneous, and unique. Be part of it.

Sold Out

event details

Tarab
My alternative festival

Tarab

Francesco Turrisi's exciting ensemble weaves together traditional music from Ireland and the Mediterranean.

Sold Out

event details

Up Above
My first festival

Up Above

Sat 14th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Tina Machina and Kenneth Fall invite you to witness a beautiful disaster in mid air.

Free

event details

Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann
My surprising festival

Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann

Sat 14th Aug
Set Theatre

A double bill of fresh fictional voices in the shape of journalist-turned-novelist Ed O’Loughlin and acclaimed Alaskan writer David Vann.

Sold Out

event details

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan
My surprising festival

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan

In a show specially designed for the festival, the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra brings you an evening of wild sounds from the big band era, aided by acclaimed jazz vocalist Honor Heffernan.

Sold Out

event details

Fidil
My first festival

Fidil

Sat 14th Aug
Cleere’s

This dynamic young fiddle trio promise a barnstorming night in Cleere’s.

Sold Out

event details

On-Off

On-Off

Sat 14th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Barnstorm Theatre Company

At once a game, a dance, and an enchanting spectacle, On-Off helps young children overcome their fear of the dark and discover the language of light.

Sold Out

event details

Derek Landy

Derek Landy

Derek Landy, author of Skulduggery Pleasant (Irish Book of the Decade), comes to Kilkenny to talk about his life, his work, and his plans to build a private munchkin army.

Sold Out

event details

The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra
My first festival

The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra

Choral singers from far and wide gather for a rousing performance in St Canice’s, featuring celebrated tenor Christopher Lemmings, baritone Raitis Grigalis and mezzo-soprano Bridget Knowles.

Sold Out

event details

And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)
My alternative festival

And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)

Sat 14th Aug
Set Theatre

One of Belfast’s hottest, loudest properties, And So I Watch You From Afar are a force to be reckoned with. See them up close in the Set Theatre, where their monstrous chords and iron-clad riffs are sure to blow the roof off.

Sold Out

event details

Liam Ó Maonlaí

Liam Ó Maonlaí

One of Ireland’s best-loved musicians and singers, Liam Ó Maonlaí brings you sean nós singing, rhythm, piano and soul in this intimate concert for all the family, young and old.

Sold Out

event details

Lendvai String Trio
My inspiring festival

Lendvai String Trio

Sun 15th Aug
The Parade Tower

An exciting programme of string trios, featuring one of Beethoven’s masterpieces, played by dynamic young group the Lendvai String Trio.

Sold Out

event details

Festival Mass
My first festival

Festival Mass

A special Festival Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, sung by the choir of St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast.

Sold Out

event details

Tindersticks with 3epkano
My inspiring festival

Tindersticks with 3epkano

A reinvigorated Tindersticks bring their passionate explorations of romance and masculinity and their distinctive, cinematic sound to St Canice’s in what promises to be the gig of the festival.

Sold Out

event details

Adrian Crowley with Valerie Francis
My surprising festival

Adrian Crowley with Valerie Francis

Sun 15th Aug
Set Theatre

Adrian Crowley makes a triumphant return to the festival clutching a hatful of awards for his latest album and accompanied by the beguiling Valerie Francis.

Sold Out

event details

Scullion
My first festival

Scullion

Sun 15th Aug
Set Theatre

Join folk rock band Scullion at the Set Theatre to round off the festival with a good old-fashioned party in the company of some of the acts you've seen this year

Sold Out

event details

surface & reality
My first festival

surface & reality

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of eleven contemporary artists in five locations through the city, including work by Turner Prize nominees Willie Doherty (nominated 1994/2003) and Susan Philipsz (nominated 2010).

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls
My alternative festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls

Fri 6th Aug - Fri 24th Sep
Kilkenny County Council Arts Office

New works by internationally-renowned feminist arts group the Guerrilla Girls.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Featuring graphic work and paintings by three of Ireland's foremost artists.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of new work by the artist who introduced woodturning to Ireland.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 29th Aug

A vibrant exhibition featuring work by thirteen local artists.

Free

event details

Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’
My first festival

Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’

Sat 7th Aug - Wed 20th Oct
The National Craft Gallery

Two exhibitions exploring the idea that jewellery is intrinsic to our lives.

Free

event details

Embracing Technology
My first festival

Embracing Technology

Sat 7th Aug - Wed 20th Oct
The National Craft Gallery

Showcasing the work of fourteen makers who are pushing the boundaries of their craft through the inventive use of materials and technology.

Free

event details

Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival

Sat 7th Aug - Mon 16th Aug
The National Craft Gallery

Featuring outstanding work from seven international makers.

Free

event details

Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Grennan Mill Craft School presents an exciting range of work from six artists.

Free

event details

Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny

Sat 7th Aug - Sat 14th Aug

Twenty-six of the finest craftspeople in Kilkenny display work inspired by the county.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 31st Oct
Butler Gallery

The first exhibition dedicated entirely to the amazing ‘Constructions’ of the renowned Irish artist, Tony O’Malley.

Free

event details

Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of work by four Kilkenny-based artists.

Free

event details

Children’s Craft Workshops

Children’s Craft Workshops

Tue 10th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
The National Craft Gallery

A chance to explore some of the materials featured in the exhibitions, including jewellery and textiles.

Sold Out

event details

Construct with Nature

Construct with Nature

Tue 10th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Butler Gallery

A chance to build your own colourful 'constructions', inspired by the Butler Gallery's Tony O'Malley exhibition.

Sold Out

event details

“Ireland’s Athletic Assault and Battery”?: Hollywood and Hurling
My first festival

“Ireland’s Athletic Assault and Battery”?: Hollywood and Hurling

Mon 9th Aug
Set Theatre

In this rare screening of short films from the 1930s, '40s and '50s, Dr Seán Crosson looks back on early Hollywood’s very singular take on the GAA.

Sold Out

event details

A Western
My alternative festival

A Western

Wed 11th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Kyteler’s Inn

Armed only with cowboy hats and some ketchup, Action Hero celebrate the failure of generic heroes, cheap whores and the all-American idol.

Sold Out

event details

Adrian Crowley with Valerie Francis
My surprising festival

Adrian Crowley with Valerie Francis

Sun 15th Aug
Set Theatre

Adrian Crowley makes a triumphant return to the festival clutching a hatful of awards for his latest album and accompanied by the beguiling Valerie Francis.

Sold Out

event details

Aileen Itani & Rachel Andrist
My surprising festival

Aileen Itani & Rachel Andrist

Outstanding young soprano Aileen Itani joins pianist Rachel Andrist to explore the rich world of fin de siècle French song, featuring works by Fauré and Debussy.

Sold Out

event details

Ale Möller Band
My surprising festival

Ale Möller Band

Fri 6th Aug
Set Theatre

Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller brings his cosmopolitan band to the Set Theatre for a potent mix of folk songs from all over the world, infused with drama and played with passion.

Sold Out

event details

And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)
My alternative festival

And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)

Sat 14th Aug
Set Theatre

One of Belfast’s hottest, loudest properties, And So I Watch You From Afar are a force to be reckoned with. See them up close in the Set Theatre, where their monstrous chords and iron-clad riffs are sure to blow the roof off.

Sold Out

event details

Andy Irvine
My first festival

Andy Irvine

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andy Irvine brings a dazzling mix of traditional Irish ballads and Balkan dance tunes to St. Canices Cathedral in a live show to savour.

Sold Out

event details

Antti Siirala
My first festival

Antti Siirala

One of the outstanding pianists of his generation, Antti Siirala presents a breathtaking programme climaxing with Chopin’s Ballades, some of the most challenging pieces in the piano repertoire.

Sold Out

event details

Baghdaddies
My first festival

Baghdaddies

Sat 7th Aug

One of the most fun bands in this or any other universe, the Baghdaddies are sure to get your feet moving.

Free

event details

Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal and Debashish Bhattacharya & Subhasis Bhattacharya
My inspiring festival

Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal and Debashish Bhattacharya & Subhasis Bhattacharya

A double bill featuring two extraordinary collaborations. Brothers Debashish and Subhasis Bhattacharya merge classical Indian music with slide guitar blues, while Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal offer a hypnotic blend of cello and kora.

Sold Out

event details

Blenny, The Waterdaughter

Blenny, The Waterdaughter

Mack the lighthouse-keeper watches over a small fishing town and the ocean, but doesn’t feel part of either, not until the day a Blenny Fish follows him home!

Sold Out

event details

Children’s Craft Workshops

Children’s Craft Workshops

Tue 10th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
The National Craft Gallery

A chance to explore some of the materials featured in the exhibitions, including jewellery and textiles.

Sold Out

event details

Ciarán Walsh
My first festival

Ciarán Walsh

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Ciarán Walsh’s recent work investigates the legacy of maligned psychotherapist and scientist Wilhelm Reich.

Free

event details

Ciaran Carson & Michael Coady
My inspiring festival

Ciaran Carson & Michael Coady

Tue 10th Aug
The Parade Tower

Two acclaimed Irish poets showcase their latest collections in the intimate setting of the Parade Tower.

Sold Out

event details

Construct with Nature

Construct with Nature

Tue 10th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Butler Gallery

A chance to build your own colourful 'constructions', inspired by the Butler Gallery's Tony O'Malley exhibition.

Sold Out

event details

Damo Suzuki (followed by a DJ set from Donal Dineen)
My alternative festival

Damo Suzuki (followed by a DJ set from Donal Dineen)

Fri 13th Aug
Set Theatre

Damo Suzuki makes his own rules, and he's coming to the Set Theatre for an evening of improvisation in its purest form. This gig will be live, spontaneous, and unique. Be part of it.

Sold Out

event details

Declan Clarke
My first festival

Declan Clarke

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Declan Clarke's Cologne Overnight considers the development of 20th century Western ideals through the ruins left in their wake.

Free

event details

Dennis McNulty
My first festival

Dennis McNulty

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Ormonde St. Car Park (Top Floor)

Dennis McNulty creates ‘situations’, space-specific sound performances or site-related installations, which he characterises as points of intersection between flows of various kinds – time, site, sound, narrative and audience.

Free

event details

Derek Landy

Derek Landy

Derek Landy, author of Skulduggery Pleasant (Irish Book of the Decade), comes to Kilkenny to talk about his life, his work, and his plans to build a private munchkin army.

Sold Out

event details

Donkey Feathers
My first festival

Donkey Feathers

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 8th Aug

A carnival of irreverent clowning and unpredictable fun!

Free

event details

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan
My surprising festival

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan

In a show specially designed for the festival, the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra brings you an evening of wild sounds from the big band era, aided by acclaimed jazz vocalist Honor Heffernan.

Sold Out

event details

Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann
My surprising festival

Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann

Sat 14th Aug
Set Theatre

A double bill of fresh fictional voices in the shape of journalist-turned-novelist Ed O’Loughlin and acclaimed Alaskan writer David Vann.

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Eithne Jordan
My first festival

Eithne Jordan

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

Eithne Jordan, one of Ireland’s leading figurative painters, explores the hidden and forgotten spaces of Europe's great cities.

Free

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Embracing Technology
My first festival

Embracing Technology

Sat 7th Aug - Wed 20th Oct
The National Craft Gallery

Showcasing the work of fourteen makers who are pushing the boundaries of their craft through the inventive use of materials and technology.

Free

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Eoghan McTigue
My first festival

Eoghan McTigue

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Kitchen Corridor - Kilkenny Castle

The photographs in Eoghan McTigue's series Aerial Plane have a strange, otherworldly feel, like dark, monochromatic paintings.

Free

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Erik Friedlander & FLM Ensemble
My surprising festival

Erik Friedlander & FLM Ensemble

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Celebrated virtuoso cellist Erik Friedlander explores the cutting edge of jazz and classical music in the company of Irish trio FLM Ensemble.

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Evan Christopher’s Django a la Creole
My surprising festival

Evan Christopher’s Django a la Creole

Wed 11th Aug
Set Theatre

The great clarinetist Evan Christopher plays the hot, infectious rhythms of New Orleans with his groundbreaking quartet, Django à la Créole.

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Façade: an entertainment for reciter and six instruments
My alternative festival

Façade: an entertainment for reciter and six instruments

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Critically-acclaimed Irish actor Barry McGovern joins Ensemble Nouveau for Façade, a reading of Edith Sitwell’s quirky, witty poems accompanied by William Walton’s playful music.

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Fergus Martin
My first festival

Fergus Martin

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"In my painting and sculpture, I try to find a shape that gives a feeling of ‘holding’ as much as possible. I often think of tanks filling up with water, of rivers rising to the brim."

Free

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Festival Mass
My first festival

Festival Mass

A special Festival Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, sung by the choir of St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast.

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Fidil
My first festival

Fidil

Sat 14th Aug
Cleere’s

This dynamic young fiddle trio promise a barnstorming night in Cleere’s.

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Foot Washing for the Sole
My inspiring festival

Foot Washing for the Sole

Fri 13th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
The Hole in the Wall

Live artist Adrian Howells brings to Kilkenny an intimate, one-to-one performance that offers to restore a sense of peace to our frantic lives.
 

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Forty Years of Feminism: A discussion on where we were, where we are & where we’re going
My inspiring festival

Forty Years of Feminism: A discussion on where we were, where we are & where we’re going

A distinguished panel of speakers including Nell McCafferty and Margaret MacCurtain look back on Forty Years of Feminism in Ireland and ask what challenges lie ahead.

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Gabriel Byrne On Screen
My first festival

Gabriel Byrne On Screen

Sat 7th Aug
Set Theatre

From adventure fantasy Into the West to the Coen brothers’ Miller’s Crossing and HBO’s award-winning new drama series In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne on Screen presents the finest work of one of Ireland’s greatest actors.

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Group Therapy for One
My inspiring festival

Group Therapy for One

Wed 11th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Cleere’s

Shane Byrne invites you to help him solve the problems of being a young man in the world today.

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Halves with The Ambience Affair, Ryan Taylor Doyle & Teffia Ki
My alternative festival

Halves with The Ambience Affair, Ryan Taylor Doyle & Teffia Ki

Thu 12th Aug
Set Theatre

Join us at the Set for a groundbreaking mix of cutting-edge music and visuals spearheaded by Halves, one of Ireland’s most exciting breakthrough acts.

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I Can’t … I Can’t (Wedding Night)
My surprising festival

I Can’t … I Can’t (Wedding Night)

Fri 13th Aug
The Parade Tower

A unique opportunity to see this controversial film, not screened in Ireland since its premiere in 1969.

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Innisfree Céilí Band
My first festival

Innisfree Céilí Band

Sat 7th Aug
Set Theatre

With reels and jigs played with passion and flair, the Innisfree Céilí Band are guaranteed to get your feet moving.

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John Banville & Hugo Hamilton
My first festival

John Banville & Hugo Hamilton

A double bill featuring two of this island’s most distinguished novelists, John Banville and Hugo Hamilton, whose latest work features everything from Greek gods to Serbian immigrants in Dublin.

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John Boyne & Andrew O’Hagan
My first festival

John Boyne & Andrew O’Hagan

John Boyne, best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and Andrew O’Hagan, one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, take us on a fictional journey from revolutionary Russia to Marilyn Monroe’s bedroom.

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Joseph O’Connor & Philip King
My first festival

Joseph O’Connor & Philip King

Musician and broadcaster Philip King and author Joseph O’Connor explore balladry and fiction in a delightful evening filled with stories and song.

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Konono No.1
My inspiring festival

Konono No.1

Fri 13th Aug
Set Theatre

Congolese band Konono No.1 sound like nothing else in African music. Their raw, funky, exuberant sound is sure to take the Set Theatre by storm.
 

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Lendvai String Trio
My inspiring festival

Lendvai String Trio

Sun 15th Aug
The Parade Tower

An exciting programme of string trios, featuring one of Beethoven’s masterpieces, played by dynamic young group the Lendvai String Trio.

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Liam Ó Maonlaí

Liam Ó Maonlaí

One of Ireland’s best-loved musicians and singers, Liam Ó Maonlaí brings you sean nós singing, rhythm, piano and soul in this intimate concert for all the family, young and old.

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Maarten Koningsberger & Finghin Collins
My inspiring festival

Maarten Koningsberger & Finghin Collins

Acclaimed Irish pianist Finghin Collins joins forces with baritone Maarten Koningsberger for a very special recital featuring Schumann’s glorious song cycle Dichterliebe.

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Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’
My first festival

Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’

Sat 7th Aug - Wed 20th Oct
The National Craft Gallery

Two exhibitions exploring the idea that jewellery is intrinsic to our lives.

Free

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Maria Ryan & Ciara Moroney
My first festival

Maria Ryan & Ciara Moroney

Award-winning Kilkenny violinist Maria Ryan and pianist Ciara Moroney bring an eclectic programme to St Canice’s, from Bach’s sonatas to Arvo Pärt’s masterpiece, Fratres.

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Mark Anthony McGrath & Christian Wilson
My surprising festival

Mark Anthony McGrath & Christian Wilson

Guitarist Mark McGrath and organist Christian Wilson bring their unique blend of celtic and baroque-inspired music to St Canice’s for a special evening of familiar and rare songs.

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Meta3 String Quartet
My inspiring festival

Meta3 String Quartet

The rising stars of the international chamber music scene play pieces by Haydn and Schumann.

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Michael Buckley’s Dublin Standard Time
My alternative festival

Michael Buckley’s Dublin Standard Time

Sun 8th Aug
Set Theatre

Led by Ireland’s finest saxophonist, Michael Buckley, Dublin Standard Time brings a full-blooded, old-school approach to the great jazz songs of the last century.

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Michael Coleman
My first festival

Michael Coleman

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"Around the Park is a series of twelve watercolours based on my time as an artist-in-residence in the Phoenix Park, Dublin."

Free

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Mick Flannery with Morton Valence & Catherine Dowling
My first festival

Mick Flannery with Morton Valence & Catherine Dowling

Mick Flannery burst onto the rock scene with White Lies and now he brings his heartfelt songs and full-throated delivery to St Canice's Cathedral, accompanied by the sultry Catherine Dowling and the indefinable Morton Valence.

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On-Off

On-Off

Sat 14th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Barnstorm Theatre Company

At once a game, a dance, and an enchanting spectacle, On-Off helps young children overcome their fear of the dark and discover the language of light.

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Parapapel

Parapapel

Wed 11th Aug - Thu 12th Aug
Barnstorm Theatre Company

Using just the simplest of props, two friends create a whole world. Graceful, funny and endlessly inventive, Parapapel is a mesmerising show that will keep young children enthralled.

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Paul Durcan
My inspiring festival

Paul Durcan

One of the most original voices in modern poetry brings his celebrated reading style to the Watergate.

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Pierce Turner with support from Jennifer Evans
My inspiring festival

Pierce Turner with support from Jennifer Evans

Sat 7th Aug
The Parade Tower

Pierce Turner likes to throw everything into his performances, from table-dancing to singalongs. Now resident in Manhattan, this is a rare chance to catch one of Ireland’s great songwriters live, abetted by rising singer-songwriter Jennifer Evans. Anything could happen, and probably will.

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Prince Mint and The Glam Chops
My first festival

Prince Mint and The Glam Chops

Sun 8th Aug

The vertically-endowed glam rock sensation!

Free

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Public Seminar: The Future of Music Distribution & Promotion (chaired by Matthew Nolan)
My inspiring festival

Public Seminar: The Future of Music Distribution & Promotion (chaired by Matthew Nolan)

An open discussion challenging conventional thinking about the business of music, and exploring new ways of creating, promoting, and distributing it.

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Puppet-Making workshop with Miriam Lambert

Puppet-Making workshop with Miriam Lambert

An exciting opportunity to create your own puppet with puppeteer Miriam Lambert.

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RTÉ Concert Orchestra
My first festival

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Always one of the most popular events at the festival, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra brings its unrivalled repertoire to St Canice’s Cathedral for a concert featuring wonderful Irish mezzo-soprano Anne Marie Gibbons.

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Scullion
My first festival

Scullion

Sun 15th Aug
Set Theatre

Join folk rock band Scullion at the Set Theatre to round off the festival with a good old-fashioned party in the company of some of the acts you've seen this year

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Stephen Loughman
My first festival

Stephen Loughman

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

Stephen Loughman's series The Fisherman’s Widow investigates the notion of an artwork as witness to a crime.

Free

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Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival

Sat 7th Aug - Mon 16th Aug
The National Craft Gallery

Featuring outstanding work from seven international makers.

Free

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Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Grennan Mill Craft School presents an exciting range of work from six artists.

Free

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Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny
My first festival

Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny

Sat 7th Aug - Sat 14th Aug

Twenty-six of the finest craftspeople in Kilkenny display work inspired by the county.

Free

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surface & reality
My first festival

surface & reality

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of eleven contemporary artists in five locations through the city, including work by Turner Prize nominees Willie Doherty (nominated 1994/2003) and Susan Philipsz (nominated 2010).

Free

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Susan & Darren: an event with dancing
My inspiring festival

Susan & Darren: an event with dancing

Thu 12th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
The Watergate Theatre

Join Susan and Darren as they prepare to throw one of their famous parties, complete with dancing, devastation, intimate conversation and a lovely buffet.

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Susan Phillipsz
My first festival

Susan Phillipsz

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Kilkenny Castle Park

Turner Prize nominee Susan Philipsz's sound installation in Kilkenny Castle Park pays tribute to Lucia Joyce, daughter of James Joyce and a passionate (but now forgotten) dancer.

Free

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Tarab
My alternative festival

Tarab

Francesco Turrisi's exciting ensemble weaves together traditional music from Ireland and the Mediterranean.

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The Baad Mutha Funkas
My first festival

The Baad Mutha Funkas

Sat 7th Aug

Their jokes are as old as their hairstyles!

Free

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The Big Draw

The Big Draw

Design a character, make your own animation flip book and create a storyboard with the help of Fabian Erlinghauser and Roxanne Burchartz from the Cartoon Saloon (Oscar-nominated for The Secret Of Kells).

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The Billy Holiday Show

The Billy Holiday Show

Tue 10th Aug
The Parade Tower

Billy Holiday is the world’s most famous singing goat. Now she’s trying to help her friends to stardom, but can sheep really make it big in showbiz? The audience must decide…

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The Cardinall’s Musick
My inspiring festival

The Cardinall’s Musick

Sat 7th Aug
The Black Abbey

Gramophone Award-winners The Cardinall’s Musick play Tudor masterpieces by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

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The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man

Sun 8th Aug
The Parade Tower

In this delightful rendition of the age-old tale, Miriam Lambert bakes the gingerbread, but the freshly-baked biscuit runs, eluding everyone’s hungry grasp, until he meets a very clever fox…

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The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture: Robert Fisk
My inspiring festival

The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture: Robert Fisk

Award-winning Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk looks back on his extraordinary career and casts a critical eye over the state of journalism today.

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The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra
My first festival

The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra

Choral singers from far and wide gather for a rousing performance in St Canice’s, featuring celebrated tenor Christopher Lemmings, baritone Raitis Grigalis and mezzo-soprano Bridget Knowles.

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The Kilkenny County Session
My first festival

The Kilkenny County Session

Mon 9th Aug
Set Theatre

The Kilkenny County Session celebrates the strength of the county’s traditional music scene with a line-up of outstanding singers, storytellers and musicians. A must for anyone with an interest in Kilkenny music.

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The Magic Cube

The Magic Cube

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 8th Aug
The Watergate Theatre

Two clowns discover a strange world made only of cubes in this wonderful clowning performance featuring horses, motorbikes, trains, castles, battles, love, laughs and even some tears.

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The Smile Off Your Face
My surprising festival

The Smile Off Your Face

Fri 6th Aug - Tue 10th Aug
Rothe House

The Smile Off Your Face offers a totally unique experience, for one person at a time. Everything happens only in your head, and yet it doesn’t…

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Thomas Dunford
My inspiring festival

Thomas Dunford

Sun 8th Aug
The Parade Tower

Virtuoso lutenist Thomas Dunford plays pieces by the great French composers from the era of the Sun King.

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Tindersticks with 3epkano
My inspiring festival

Tindersticks with 3epkano

A reinvigorated Tindersticks bring their passionate explorations of romance and masculinity and their distinctive, cinematic sound to St Canice’s in what promises to be the gig of the festival.

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To an Isle in the Water
My first festival

To an Isle in the Water

Tue 10th Aug
Set Theatre

New York composer Ellen Mandel plays her own delightful settings of the poetry of ee cummings, WB Yeats, Seamus Heaney and others, sung by baritone Robert Gildon.

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Up Above
My first festival

Up Above

Sat 14th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Tina Machina and Kenneth Fall invite you to witness a beautiful disaster in mid air.

Free

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Victor and Gord
My first festival

Victor and Gord

Fri 6th Aug - Tue 10th Aug
Cleere’s

You know those friends you grew up with? Went to school with? Laughed, cried, partied and pulled with? D’you ever wonder, sometimes, if they’d ever just f**k off?

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Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of work by four Kilkenny-based artists.

Free

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Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

Featuring graphic work and paintings by three of Ireland's foremost artists.

Free

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Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls
My alternative festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls

Fri 6th Aug - Fri 24th Sep
Kilkenny County Council Arts Office

New works by internationally-renowned feminist arts group the Guerrilla Girls.

Free

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Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 29th Aug

A vibrant exhibition featuring work by thirteen local artists.

Free

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Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug

An exhibition of new work by the artist who introduced woodturning to Ireland.

Free

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Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley
My first festival

Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley

Sat 7th Aug - Sun 31st Oct
Butler Gallery

The first exhibition dedicated entirely to the amazing ‘Constructions’ of the renowned Irish artist, Tony O’Malley.

Free

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When I’m Sixty-Four: A Symposium on Pension Reform
My inspiring festival

When I’m Sixty-Four: A Symposium on Pension Reform

Wed 11th Aug

A panel of experts including Teresa Ghilarducci offer forward-thinking solutions to the pensions crisis in Ireland and beyond.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - "WHEN I'M 64: A SYMPOSIUM ON PENSION REFORM"  HAS BEEN MOVED FROM ST CANICES CATHDERAL TO THE PEMBROKE HOTEL, PATRICK ST.

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Where did it all go right?
My first festival

Where did it all go right?

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 8th Aug
The Left Bank

ponydance, Belfast’s champions of comedy dance theatre, serve up an outrageous confection of moves and movement to a soundtrack of garish music and nervous tension. You’ll laugh and cringe!

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Whispering Waves: Stories of the Sea

Whispering Waves: Stories of the Sea

Fri 13th Aug
The Parade Tower

In this enthralling storytelling performance, Joe Brennan reveals the secrets of the waves. Stories of adventure, mystery and love. Stories of silky seals, a drowning wave and strange creatures...

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William McKeown
My first festival

William McKeown

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
11 Patrick Street

"The paintings that I will be showing at Kilkenny have developed out of the theme of immersion that has preoccupied me for many years."

Free

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Willie Doherty
My first festival

Willie Doherty

Fri 6th Aug - Sun 15th Aug
Rothe House

Twice Turner Prize nominee Willie Doherty's photography and video work draws on his native city of Derry to explore themes of individual and collective subjectivity, memory and responsibility.

Free

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