13th August
Luka Bloom & Friends
Set Theatre
A night of rousing, heartfelt songs and outstanding musicianship in the Set.
Body Duet
The Watergate Theatre
John Scott’s Irish Modern Dance Theatre presents an energy-packed performance featuring two outstanding dancers
Gemma Hayes with Ann Scott
St. John’s Priory
Tipperary’s Gemma Hayes's eclectic blend of folk, prog rock and electronica has been winning over audiences at home and abroad.
Francisco Goldman
The Parade Tower
The acclaimed American writer reads from Say Her Name, his most personal and moving work to date
Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir
St Canice’s Cathedral
A 100-strong choir joins forces with leading singers and performers for a rousing finale in St Canice's
Paul Muldoon & Michael Longley, Introduced by Olivia O’Leary
St Canice’s Cathedral
A rare chance to hear these two great Northern Irish poets as they share the stage at St Canice's. This will be a memorable night.
Birdsong Workshop
Gallery 3G Castle Yard
Workshops by musician Laoise O'Brien and visual artist Lorna Donlon.
Holy Mary
The Watergate Theatre
A magical and hilarious new play by Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, that takes an honest look at life through the eyes of eight-year-old Majella Barnes
Title & Deed
Barnstorm Theatre
Gare St Lazare Players Ireland are back with the world premiere of Title and Deed, a new piece specially-written for the company by acclaimed American playwright Will Eno
The Big Deal
Barnstorm Theatre
Una McKevitt returns to Kilkenny with the extraordinary real-life story of two women who knew from a very young age that they were born into the wrong bodies
anybody waitin’?
ponydance are back, and this time they’re free! Join these incorrigible flirts on their quest through the streets of Kilkenny to find a man
Other Selections - Blackbird Gallery
Blackbird Gallery
The Blackbird Gallery presents a selection of works by three emerging artists
Other Selections - Grennan Mill Craft School - Maire Gartland
Grennan Mill
Grennan Mill Craft School welcomes six Irish artists/crafts people showing an exciting new range of work in a wide variety of media
Other Selections - Grennan Mill Craft School - Trini Kenny
Grennan Mill
Grennan Mill Craft School welcomes six Irish artists/crafts people showing an exciting new range of work in a wide variety of media
Other Selections - Grennan Mill Craft School - Nicola Brown
Grennan Mill
Grennan Mill Craft School welcomes six Irish artists/crafts people showing an exciting new range of work in a wide variety of media
Other Selections - Grennan Mill Craft School - Kirsty O’Keeffe
Grennan Mill
Grennan Mill Craft School welcomes six Irish artists/crafts people showing an exciting new range of work in a wide variety of media
Other Selections - Grennan Mill Craft School - Clive Nunn
Grennan Mill
Grennan Mill Craft School welcomes six Irish artists/crafts people showing an exciting new range of work in a wide variety of media
Other Selections - Grennan Mill Craft School - Brendan Brennan
Grennan Mill
Grennan Mill Craft School welcomes six Irish artists/crafts people showing an exciting new range of work in a wide variety of media
Other Selections - Niall Harkin
Berkley Gallery
This exhibition, Votive Offerings, presents the fruits of two years’ work with sheet bronze
Modified Expression
The National Craft Gallery
Tear, fold, cut, read, write, print, and colour: Modified Expression, this year’s CRAFT strand exhibition, is all about books.
Strand 2 - Ian Burns
Butler Gallery
Ian Burns’s sculptures and installations investigate the expectations of art viewing with wry humor and audience engaging invention.
Other Selections - On the Surface
The Courtyard Bar and Grill
A joint exhibition by artists Bernadette Kiely and Paul Mosse. While Kiely’s and Mosse’s work appears very different on the surface, there is a slowly emerging resonance at play.
Strand 2 - We Are All in This Together
The Watergate Theatre
Exhibiting artists: Maeve Coulter, Sylvia Hemmingway, Emma Hogan, Alé Mercado and Aiseling Noone.
Strand 2 - Rachel Dickson & Alison Lowry
Kilkenny County Council Arts Office
Kilkenny County Council Arts Office presents this joint exhibition of ceramics and glass from two emerging Irish makers: Rachel Dickson and Alison Lowry.
Festival Trail
Gather a group of intrepid explorers to discover Kilkenny on foot, following our ‘treasure hunt’ style Festival Trail
The Three Sisters
Kieran Street
View colourful street decorations in Kieran Street made by local volunteers of all ages.
Request Programme
Acclaimed Cork-based theatre company Corcadorca presents an intimate show staged in a real apartment and starring IFTA-winning actress Eileen Walsh.
![Other Selections - Daithi O hUallachain [David Holohan]](/content/images/sized/daithi_ohuallachain_02-220x120.jpg)
Other Selections - Daithi O hUallachain [David Holohan]
Kitchen Corridor - Kilkenny Castle
An exhibition of Daithi's recent paintings, full of light and vibrancy
Other Selections - Lucy McKenna
Kilkenny Castle Park
This installation in Kilkenny Castle Park explores the darker side of the human psyche
Other Selections - Ceann
Shankill Castle
Ceann 2011 offers a visual feast in the historic setting of Shankill Castle
Other Selections - Made in Kilkenny
Butler House
This year’s exhibition - A Maker’s Journey: from inspiration to creation - traces the process of design, exploring the different elements each craftsperson takes into consideration to produce a finished piece
Other Selections - KCAT - The Empty Heat of Neanderthal Man
The Workhouse
An exhibition of recent sculpture work by five studio artists, comprising a range of materials such as stone, clay, wood, and mixed media
Liam O’Callaghan
Muniments Room, Kilkenny Castle
Playful – even satirical – installations, sculptures and photographs exposing the methods or mechanics in their construction.
Maria McKinney
Rothe House
Maria McKinney is concerned with ideas of boredom and escapism and works with familiar objects and materials.
Michael Thomas Murphy
Kenealy’s Art Shop
Michael Thomas Murphy’s work is multidimensional and multi-layered incorporating many materials.
Jacco Olivier
The Courthouse
Jacco Olivier fuses painting and filmmaking, continually reworking his paintings with generous, casual brushstrokes and photographing each stage of their development
Nick Miller
The Heritage Council
In this multimedia piece Nick Miller draws our attention to the tradition of the reclining nude in art.
Ann Craven
Castle Yard Gallery
Ann Craven is a compelling New York-based artist whose work focuses on recurring subject matter such as flowers, birds and the moon.
David Beattie
St. Mary’s Hall
An artist who encourages a sense of curiosity and exploration in his act of displacing quotidian objects.
Other Selections - Ross Stewart & Andrew Ludick
Castle Yard Gallery
An exhibition of work by ceramicist Andrew Ludick and painter Ross Stewart
Other Selections - Jerpoint Studio
Jerpoint Glass Studio
This group exhibition showcases the work of several 'hot glass divas', both up-and-coming artists and internationally-renowned names
Other Selections - The Workhouse Test
Dunnes Bakery
The Workhouse Test presents a collaborative exhibition that aims to establish links with international art spaces
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