Kinsale Arts Weekend returns from the 10th to the 13th July, rolling into town with the mighty momentum of its ninth year and a fitting theme, The Ninth Wave.
This year’s programme draws inspiration from Celtic myth and maritime mystery, where the fabled ninth wave, said to carry voyagers beyond the known world, beckons festival-goers to embrace the extraordinary.
Singer Gemma Hayes
Chairperson Anna Mulcahy says the theme ‘represents a threshold, between the known and the unknown, the safe and the daring.
This year, we wanted the programme to push past the expectations, and I’m so proud of what our team and artists have created. Whether you’re a regular or a first-timer, I can promise there’s mystical creativity waiting for you in Kinsale’.
Kinsale Arts weekend transforms the whole town into a stage, with a huge variety of spaces, from cafés to streets and churches, becoming venues for the arts, as well as the newly redeveloped town library, a cultural hub for the town since its opening in 2023.
Highlights of this year’s festival include the solo singer Gemma Haye and Brú Theatre’s Ar Ais Arís, virtual reality storytelling experience.
This very special Irish language VR experience blends literature, poetry, and immersive tech, where audiences can explore themes of migration and return in 180° cinematic environments.
Also featured are Under the Ivy, a reimagining of Kate Bush’s music by Annette Buckley and Ronan Holohan in a candlelit soundscape, and Sounds Queer to Me, Ivy Favier’s comedic personal one-woman show, that explores the meaning of identity through music, storytelling, and stand-up.
Throughout the weekend there is also 60s pop from Cork band Cardinals and a showing of the iconic movie Nosferatu, with a live score from Old Head natives Linda and Irene Buckley.
There will be original comedy theatre from Hubcap Theatre, and talks on climate and wave energy from Professor Tony Lewis and Dr Tara Shine, as well as an open-air dance spectacle The Ninth Step, courtesy of international ballerina Patricia Crosbie.
Tickets and the full schedule of events is now available on the Kinsale Arts Festival website; early booking is advised for flagship events.
