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RTÉ News
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
10 other arts and music festivals to check out this summer
Whisper it - lest you provoke the weather gods - but with this prolonged period of glorious sunshine we've been having, it's the perfect time to start planning your summer festival schedule. Amidst the big players - the Longitudes and the All Together Nows, the Electric Picnics and the Galway International Arts Festivals - there are plenty of other lesser-known music and arts gems to be appreciated across the coming months. So whether you're not into milling around with tens of thousands of punters or you're simply looking for something a little off the beaten track, here are ten other music and arts festivals to check out. 1. Festival of Writing and Ideas | June 6th - 8th | Borris, Co. Carlow This brilliant festival does exactly what it says on the tin: it gathers together an array of brilliant minds, thinkers, speakers, writers and idea-generators at the picturesque Borris House in County Carlow for an annual shindig. This year's programme includes authors John Banville, Paul Murray, Maggie Armstrong and Sinéad Gleeson, musicians Colin Greenwood and Conor O'Brien, actors Fiona Shaw, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rupert Everett and Eileen Walsh, and many more. 2. Open Ear Festival | May 29th - June 1st | Cork Keep both your ears and your minds open for this gem. Not only is the line-up a stellar showing of some of the most interesting irish acts around - from the Choice-nominated Róis to renowned violinist Caoimhín Ó Ragallaigh and experimental psych-rock artist Elaine Malone - but the novelty of travelling to it by ferry adds to its unique nature. It takes place on Sherkin Island off the coast of Cork, with camping and glamping available on site. 3. In the Meadows | June 7th | Dublin Any opportunity to see the Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop, is always worth taking. When you add in an array of superb bands - both Irish and international - across a day-long event, it's doubly so. The punk legend will headline and has also curated the bill for the second In the Meadows festival at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, which includes Gilla Band, Slowdive, Sprints, Lambrini Girls, Muireann Bradley and more. 4. Carlow Arts Festival | June 4th - 8th The organisers of this long-running event have pulled together an impressive programme for 2025, with a nicely-balanced mix of music, theatre, visual arts, spoken word, comedy, workshops and more. Highlights include multi-hyphenate artist SexyTadhg, Emman Idama's comedy show No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish, music by Ye Vagabonds and the community-led Carnival of Collective Joy; who wouldn't want to see such a spectacle? 5. When Next We Meet | June 7th - 8th | Clonmel, Co. Tipperary If a celebration of some of the finest independent acts on the Irish music scene sounds like your kind of thing, this intimate festival is well worth checking out. Now in its fourth year, the 2025 programme takes place at the Raheen House Hotel in Clonmel and will see Villagers, Pillow Queens, Paddy Hanna, Morgana and more entertain the masses. With a capacity for only 800 people max per night, there'll be no shoving required to get to the front at this comparatively cosy gathering. 6. Forest Fest Music & Arts Festival | July 25th - 27th | Emo, Co. Laois For one weekend a year, the village of Emo, Co. Laois plays host to some of the big-hitters from the music world over the last twenty years. With a bias towards indie and rock, this year's excellent line-up includes Manic Street Preachers, Franz Ferdinand, Teenage Fanclub, Travis, The Dandy Warhols and more. If you're an old school raver, however, Orbital will provide the goods, while there's also an Ibiza Rewind stage, a Forest Fleadh area, a family area and much more. 7. Body & Soul: A Wake | August 16th - 18th | Exact location TBC, but Co. Meath After 14 editions, the Body & Soul festival sadly came to an end in 2023 - but that's not quite where the story ends. Although details are scant, it's worth keeping an eye on what this 'wake' might entail. Described as a 'final send-off' for the beloved festival, organisers have stressed that it's "not a festival" - but there is a (loose) dress code and there will no doubt be entertainment at this "intimate gathering rooted in the energy of an Irish Wake". More info will be revealed to those attending closer to the time. 8. West Cork Literary Festival | July 11th - 18th | Bantry, Co. Cork What an outstanding programme awaits in Banty, West Cork this summer - as if you need an excuse to visit such a stunning corner of Ireland. Big hitters like Richard E. Grant, Sarah Moss, Alan Hollinghurst, Neil Jordan and local boy Graham Norton will rub shoulders with various luminaries (Eimear McBride, Claire Kilroy) and newcomers of the Irish literary scene, including Ferdia Lennon, Seán Ronayne, Louise Hegarty and more - with plenty of free events, talks, workshops and even a festival swim in the mix, too. Undoubtedly one of the best literary line-ups of the year. 9. Another Love Story | August 23rd - 24th | Killyon, Co. Meath This festival, which launched in 2014, has established itself as one of the smallest-but-most-perfectly-formed festivals on the Irish circuit, always curating a beautifully well-rounded programme that will appeal to music lovers of all tastes. This year's event includes sets by Spanish DJ/producer John Talabot, singer-songwriter Fionn Regan, Dublin rapper Curtisy, folk duo Dug and more. 10. Night and Day | June 27th - 29th | Boyle, Co. Roscommon It's not just music that's the draw for this festival in Lough Key Forest Park in Co. Roscommon, although there's plenty of interest on that front (from KT Tunstall to Paul Brady, and The Wailers to José González). There's also a family zone and accompanying programme to keep the tiddlers happy, with workshops, dancing, circus skills, lego and more, alongside a wellness area to provide some tranquility away from the hustle and bustle.
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Here comes the summer... 10 of the best music festivals in Ireland
Love is a Stranger Juniper Barn, Ballymote, Co Sligo May 17 Headliners: Crazy P (DJ), Susan O'Neill, God Knows From the team behind Another Love Story, Love is a Stranger is an even more boutique option. The second edition of the festival comprises a small melange of genres, bands, and DJs from around Ireland to help kickstart festival season. There are woodland glades and the Juniper Lake, complete with sauna and swimming deck. As they say themselves, it's a showcase of all of the beauty and richness of the Sligo countryside as summer on the West coast blooms - and there's also a kids corner. But don't let all that overshadow the music. The world famous Crazy P continue their mission to spread the message of disco unity via their DJ sets while Dean Bryce makes his debut Irish bow. Tickets: €95.50 (overnight camping); €65.50 (day attendee) €125 (family - two adults, two children) Forbidden Fruit IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin City May 31-June 1 Underworld, Jamie xx, Peggy Gou, Caribou Forbidden Fruit has been running for over a decade and has solidified itself into a stellar dance-oriented event. Peggy Gou gave Kylie Minogue a run for her money at Electric Picnic last year and should draw a huge crowd, while Dan Snaith's Caribou play their first irish show since the release of their 2024 record Honey. Underworld released their latest album Chaos Saucer at the start of March, showing they've still got it in their fifth decade together. As well as the big names, Forbidden Fruit also boasts one of the buzziest acts around in New York's Fcukers, last seen supporting Confidence Man at the Olympia - uber cool. Tickets: Weekend tickets €174, day tickets €79.50 In the Meadows IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin June 7 Gilla Band Iggy Pop, Slowdive, the Scratch, Gilla Band Last seen here at All Together Now 2023 struggling a little to throw himself around the stage as much as he did in the 70s - though putting on one of the loudest festival sets we've ever heard - Iggy Pop returns to headline the second outing of In the Meadows. Affectionately known as Lankum-fest last year, it featured a superb lineup curated by the trad powerhouse. In the Meadows has broadened in scope this year, with a healthy mix of Irish acts spread across the lineup. Coming a week after Forbidden Fruit, it can feel a little like the calm after the storm, but once 'I Wanna be Your Dog' hits, all bets are off. Tickets: €75 Beyond the Pale Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow June 13-15 Jon Hopkins, TV on the Radio, Ezra Collective, Broken Social Scene Any music fans who came of age amid the blogosphere in the mid 2000s will have Beyond the Pale circled on their calendar this year after the announcement of TV on the Radio and Broken Social Scene, indie darlings who have eluded these shores for too long - this will be their first show in Europe since 2018 . Expect tears when the latter drop 'Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl'. A week earlier than their usual summer solstice listing, Beyond the Pale has cemented itself as a mid-sized, music-focused offering and while there are few accoutrements, the variety on stage will more than suffice. Tickets: Three-day camping €238.95, Sunday day tickets €99 Night & Day Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle, Co. Roscommon June 27-29 Jose Gonzalez, KT Tunstall, The Stunning, The Wailers An over-20s event that also caters to families, Night & Day returns for its fourth edition at the end of June. Thanks to its location at beautiful Lough Key Forest Park, as well as the music there are activities including zip-lining courses, forest trails, boat tours, and a tree-top walk. Jose Gonzalez is making his only Irish appearance of the year at the festival and it's also nice to see Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall on the bill. Sultans of Ping, Fionn Regan, and Lisa Hannigan also feature, while newer Irish acts like Skinner (post-punk) and Dug (folk) offer a glimpse of the future. Tickets: €55 (Friday), €88 (Saturday and Sunday), €185 weekend camping Longitude Marlay Park, Dublin July 5-6 David Guetta, 50 Cent, Belters Only, Sonny Fodera, AJ Tracey AJ Tracey. It's over 10 years since David Guetta last played in Ireland (Oxegen 2013), so what a coup for Longitude to get him to headline - 2013 was also the year when Longitude started up, with a very different outlook; headliners then included Vampire Weekend and Kraftwerk). Now Longitude is like Oxegen lite, a heady mix of the hottest rap and dance acts around. Belters Only have gotten used to the biggest stages, regularly selling out the 3Arena, while AJ Tracey is one of the most exciting names in rap right now. There's no overnight camping, though, which people travelling from outside of Dublin might note. Forest Fest Emo Village, Co Laois July 25-27 Franz Ferdinand, Manic Street Preachers, Travis The brainchild of solicitor Philip Meagher, in his fifties, a father of two from Portlaoise, he created the festival after finding he couldn't relate to existing events. 'I genuinely wanted to create a local alternative to Electric Picnic and do it at a more intimate, indie level with the highest quality bands and a really good experience for an older audience,' he has said in the past. It's grown over the years - 2025 is the fourth edition of Forest Fest, boasting a capacity of 12,000 - into a fully fledged alternative that skews to the wisened, grizzled festival veteran. Orbital are rubbing shoulders with Nick Lowe and Billy Bragg; the Forest Fleadh stage features Mary Coughlan and Sharon Shannon, among more; and there's an 'Ibiza Rewind' stage too. Tickets: Day tickets €85, weekend tickets €240. All Together Now Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford July 31-August 3 All Together Now. Photo: Joe Evans Fontaines DC, Nelly Furtado, Bicep (Chroma AV DJ set), London Grammar The sixth edition of ATN has sold out well in advance - no surprise considering it boasts an incredible lineup headlined by Choice Music Prize winners Fontaines DC. Wet Leg and Michael Kiwanuka are stellar bookings likely drawing disparate crowds, while CMAT is rightly near the top of the bill. Currently on tour supporting Sam Fender around Europe, expect cowboy hats in various shapes and colours to dominate the beautiful estate site. Featuring beautiful bespoke stages and areas - including the stunning 360-degree-sound experience of the Immerse by AVA stage - there's so much to discover at All Together Now. Tickets: Sold out, no day tickets Another Love Story Killyon Manor, Co Meath August 23-24 John Talabot, Fionn Regan, Anna B Savage Heading into its 11th year, Another Love Story is slimming down to a 1.5-day offering in 2025 - proceedings usually finish up around 6pm on the Sunday, offering punters time to get home to their own bed and set for work on Monday morning. Despite being hit by god-awful weather in the past couple years, the boutique festival (fewer than 2,000 attendees) always has the best vibe, along with lots of kids running around and dogs helping appease weary heads. The music is a brilliantly curated mix of DJs from home and abroad and bands mostly from the folk and indie world. The Treehouse, hidden away in the forest, is probably the best-looking festival stage in Ireland. Tickets: €115 (Saturday), €65.50 (Sunday), overnight tickets sold out Electric Picnic Stradbally, Co Laois August 29-31 Kings of Leon. Hozier, Chappell Roan, Sam Fender, Fatboy Slim, Kings of Leon The big one caps off the festival summer. Twenty-one years on from its boutique debut, Electric Picnic sells out as soon as tickets go on sale, with the lineup still under wraps five months out. It's such a huge site, with tonnes of areas to explore, from the Salty Dog to the Trailer Park, with pop-up quizzes and installations to entertain you on your journey. Electric Picnic in 2025 is whatever you want it to be. As for rumours, Sam Fender, Chappell Roan, and Hozier are some of the big names linked with an appearance, while Post Malone has August 31 free after a gig in Munich the previous night. The Wolfe Tones, who got one of the biggest crowds in the festival's history on Sunday afternoon last night, could finally bid their final farewell with a headline slot. Tickets: Sold out
