Irish Chamber Orchestra, Niall Vallely, Liz Knowles, Niwel Tsumbu: Sun Lines
Wednesday 12th August 2026 Location: St Canice’s Cathedral, The Close, Coach Road, Kilkenny, R95 V63H They made their Marble City Sessions debut as a trio in 2024, wowing audiences with their adventurous spirit, and this year they return for this…
Acting Workshop with Lynne Parker
Wednesday 12th August 2026 Location: Mayfair Library, Saint Francis Abbey Brewery, Abbey St, Kilkenny Join award-winning theatre director Lynne Parker (Rough Magic) and actors Peter Hanly and Jennifer O’Dea for a special theatre workshop. Exploring dialogue from Michael Frayn’s Benefactors…
Cate Le Bon
Welsh multi-disciplinary artist and producer Cate Le Bon’s work has long defied categorization—an architect of sound who builds emotional landscapes f…
Heritage Council Panel Discussion
Monday 10th August 2026 Location: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle, The Parade, Kilkenny, R95 YRK1 A panel discussion exploring issues raised by Mary Robinson in the 2026 Hubert Butler Annual Lecture. Organisers Website
The Hubert Butler Essay Prize 2026
Monday 10th August 2026 Location: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle, The Parade, Kilkenny, R95 YRK1 The title for this year’s essay is: ‘“Poetry makes nothing happen” (WH Auden). What impact can high culture make in the real world?’ Organisers Website
Mary Robinson
‘Where life is fully and consciously lived in our own neighbourhood’: Meitheal, community and food sovereignty
Sally Hayden: This is Also a Love Story
Sunday 09th August 2026 Location: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle, The Parade, Kilkenny, R95 YRK1 An acclaimed international correspondent, Hayden has spent her career covering some of the darkest moments of our time, and yet even in the face of…
Barrel Yard Sessions
Saturday 08th August 2026 Location: Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, 44 Parliament Street, Kilkenny, R95 VK54 Whether you’ve a long day of Festival-going behind you or a big night ahead (or both!), drop by the Barrel Yard on both Saturday evenings of…
Donnacha Dennehy & Kate Ellis
Saturday 08th August 2026 Location: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle, The Parade, Kilkenny, R95 YRK1 In this wide-ranging discussion, Crash Ensemble’s Artistic Director, Kate Ellis, and co-founder, Donnacha Dennehy (whose Land of Winter is performed at this year’s Festival), survey…
Crossing the Lines: the Makers of The Curing Line
Friday 07th August 2026 Location: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle, The Parade, Kilkenny, R95 YRK1 Composer Michael Gallen, librettist Annemarie Ní Churreáin and director and video designer Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern discuss the opera’s creative journey with Kate Ellis. Organisers Website