6th August
OKO
Cleere’s - Festival Hub
OKO brings together some of the finest players on the Dublin jazz scene for a night of innovative sounds.
Cathal Coughlan and the Grand Necropolitan Quintet
The Watergate Theatre
Cork’s Cathal Coughlan showcases his extraordinary voice in the company of long-term collaborators, the Grand Necropolitan Quintet.
Bookbinding with Rachel Hazell
The National Craft Gallery
Join bookbinder and artist Rachel Hazell for interactive bookbinding activities based on the 1911 Kilkenny Census
Hubert Butler Lecture Professor Morgan Kelly
St Canice’s Cathedral
A rare chance to hear, and question, one of Ireland's most forthright and prescient economists
Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage. Free Taster
The Parade
Come along to the Parade to see a free taster of Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage.
Fanzini Brothers
Canal Walk
The Fanzini Brothers proudly present their brand new madcap street show Cannonball Circus.
Artists’ Talk - Craft
The National Craft Gallery
Angela O’Kelly will introduce an artists’ talk at 3pm on Saturday 6 August in the National Craft Gallery (Gallery 1).
David Donohue
The Parade Tower
The bestselling author and backwards-speller extraordinaire rides into town to talk about his backwards-spelling hero, Walter Speazlebud
Guo Yue - Cookery Demonstration
Set Theatre
Guo Yue, author, chef, composer and flute player awakens the senses at a Chinese cookery masterclass.
Brunch with the Artists
Cleere’s - Festival Hub
Join the artists for a free, informal brunch with special guests including curator Hugh Mulholland, art critic Gemma Tipton and journalist John Waters.
This event is free but ticketed.
William Butt
St. John’s Priory
Acclaimed cellist William Butt performs an intimate lunchtime concert in St.John's Priory
Resurgam & the Irish Baroque Orchestra, directed by Christophe Rousset
St Canice’s Cathedral
Celebrated choir Resurgam joins forces with festival favourites the Irish Baroque Orchestra to perform Baroque masterpieces, directed by Christophe Rousset
Dermot Healy & Patrick McCabe
Set Theatre
Two acclaimed Irish writers share their latest work in the Set
Tabernacle
The Watergate Theatre
Fearghus Ó Conchúir, one of Ireland’s leading independent choreographers, presents an exciting new dance piece that takes a thoughtful look at changing attitudes to religion
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
The Arts Are A Luxury We Can’t Afford Right Now! - Panel Discussion
The Pembroke Hotel
A panel discussion on the position of the arts in a time of recession. Come along and have your say!
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.
Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage
Set Theatre
New York ensemble Banana Bag & Bodice bring you a riotous, raw and rowdy retelling of this ancient tale, set to the rhythms of an explosive seven-piece band
![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
Stay Updated
Join the festival mailing list
Members Get More
Make the most of this year's Festival with our special ticket deals. Now you can afford to squeeze in more events while you're here.
We're Social