14th August
And So I Watch You From Afar (followed by The Kilo 1977)
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.

The Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra
St Canice’s Cathedral
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.

Derek Landy
Hotel Kilkenny - Skyline Suite
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.

On-Off
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.

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

Dublin City Jazz Orchestra with Honor Heffernan
Hotel Kilkenny - Skyline Suite
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.

Ed O’Loughlin & David Vann
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.

Up Above
Tina Machina and Kenneth Fall invite you to witness a beautiful disaster in mid air.
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Tarab
St Canice’s Cathedral
Francesco Turrisi's exciting ensemble weaves together traditional music from Ireland and the Mediterranean.

Foot Washing for the Sole
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.

Susan & Darren: an event with dancing
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.

Group Therapy for One
Cleere’s
Shane Byrne invites you to help him solve the problems of being a young man in the world today.

Visual Art Strand 2: Endangered Studios
An exhibition of work by four Kilkenny-based artists.
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Visual Art Strand 2: Tony O’Malley
Butler Gallery
The first exhibition dedicated entirely to the amazing ‘Constructions’ of the renowned Irish artist, Tony O’Malley.
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Strand 2 Craft: Made in Kilkenny
Twenty-six of the finest craftspeople in Kilkenny display work inspired by the county.
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Strand 2 Craft: Grennan Mill Craft School Exhibition
Grennan Mill Craft School presents an exciting range of work from six artists.
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Strand 2 Craft: Ceramics Ireland International Festival
The National Craft Gallery
Featuring outstanding work from seven international makers.
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Embracing Technology
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.
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Mah Rana - ‘Jewellery is Life’ and ‘Meanings and Attachments’
The National Craft Gallery
Two exhibitions exploring the idea that jewellery is intrinsic to our lives.
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Visual Art Strand 2: KCAT Thirteen
A vibrant exhibition featuring work by thirteen local artists.
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Visual Art Strand 2: Maria Van Kesteren
An exhibition of new work by the artist who introduced woodturning to Ireland.
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Visual Art Strand 2: Gerard Casey, Eamon Colman, Patrick Pye
Featuring graphic work and paintings by three of Ireland's foremost artists.
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Visual Art Strand 2: Guerrilla Girls
Kilkenny County Council Arts Office
New works by internationally-renowned feminist arts group the Guerrilla Girls.
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Willie Doherty
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.
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William McKeown
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."
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Eithne Jordan
11 Patrick Street
Eithne Jordan, one of Ireland’s leading figurative painters, explores the hidden and forgotten spaces of Europe's great cities.
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Declan Clarke
Rothe House
Declan Clarke's Cologne Overnight considers the development of 20th century Western ideals through the ruins left in their wake.
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Michael Coleman
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."
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Stephen Loughman
11 Patrick Street
Stephen Loughman's series The Fisherman’s Widow investigates the notion of an artwork as witness to a crime.
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Ciarán Walsh
Rothe House
Ciarán Walsh’s recent work investigates the legacy of maligned psychotherapist and scientist Wilhelm Reich.
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Eoghan McTigue
Kitchen Corridor - Kilkenny Castle
The photographs in Eoghan McTigue's series Aerial Plane have a strange, otherworldly feel, like dark, monochromatic paintings.
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Dennis McNulty
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.
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Fergus Martin
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."
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Susan Phillipsz
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.
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