A Cultural Journey Through Ireland’s Best Arts Festivals
Ireland’s arts festivals offer an electrifying range of events showcasing outstanding creative talent from around the world.
2023 Galway International Arts Festival
Ireland has a year-long calendar of top-notch arts festivals and some of the biggest and best are lined up for the summer months. Here’s a peek at what’s on offer at three of the island’s most dynamic and distinctive arts festivals.
Featuring over 110 events across two weeks, the Galway International Arts Festival is Ireland’s largest and most high-profile arts festival. Internationally renowned for its bold and ambitious programming, it brings together acclaimed global artists and the very best of Irish talent. The Galway International Arts Festival is a flagship cultural event that encompasses theatre, music, visual arts, comedy, opera, dance, street spectacle, and thought-provoking talks. Every year it attracts over 250,000 visitors to this bohemian city on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Continuing its tradition of pushing artistic boundaries, the 2025 festival will showcase eight world premieres across theatre, opera and dance, a major new installation from one of the UK’s most successful artists, David Mach, a circus spectacular, and a unique underwater theatrical performance by Mikel Murfi. The headline musical acts include Mogwai, The Magic Numbers, Sophie Ellis Baxter and Norwegian superstar violinist Mari Samuelsen.
Earagail Arts Festival, Arranmore Island, Co Donegal
A unique bilingual festival in the rugged northwest of Ireland, Earagail Arts Festival/féile ealaíne celebrates local and international talent and the rich cultural heritage of County Donegal.
The festival’s wide-reaching programme includes music, circus, visual art, theatre, dance, street art, spoken word and conversations and there will also be masterclasses and wellness workshops. Always with a strong focus on community, this year the festival will particularly celebrate environmental art, indigenous voices, and immersive experiences in nature.
Events take place right across the county in castles, churches, community halls and circus tents, on beaches and in the streets. Signature events include outdoor performances set against Donegal’s stunning natural backdrops such as Gola Island, guided cultural walks through beautiful Glenveagh National Park, and collaborative projects with local Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) communities.
2024, Light Up the Castle, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Kilkenny City
The medieval city of Kilkenny hosts one of Ireland’s longest-running and most prestigious multi-arts festivals having been a hub of artistic adventures for over 50 years. The festival programme spans theatre, literature, dance, visual art, design and multiple genres of music and this year’s highlights include three world premieres. What are you afraid of? is a much-anticipated new theatrical co-production starring Peter Hanly. A new opera, Custom of the Coast, is a collaboration between American composer Kamala Sankaram and Irish poet Paul Muldoon, and Neon Dusk is an unmissable acrobatic spectacle.
The festival venues include some of the city’s most iconic locations such as St Canice’s Cathedral, Rothe House and Kilkenny Castle, and there are also events in Kilkenny’s ancient streets. It marries tradition and innovation and among this year’s classical music highlights will be the critically acclaimed Secret Byrd – an extraordinary immersive performance that will be part promenade, part concert, and part theatre.