There are plenty of music, arts, and food and drink events happening across Ireland in the coming weeks
Whether it’s live or virtual events, there’s plenty going on this September. You might love music, consider yourself a foodie, or are an appreciator of the arts - either way, there’s plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks.
First off, here are some of the music events you can look forward to in September.
SEA SESSIONS PRESENTS SEPTEMBER SESSIONS 14th-19th Sept
The team behind Sea Sessions have announced 'September Sessions', a series of five intimate concerts, which will take place in Bundoran, Donegal.
The concert series features an exciting line up between Gavin James, The Coronas, Lyra, Moncrieff, Royseven, Róisín O, Thumper and more.
'September Sessions' will run from 14th September to 19 September 2021.
Tickets are available from universe.com/septembersessions and start from €159 - €199 for a table of 4 and €229 - €289 for a table of 6.
The covered outdoor concerts have a limited capacity of 200 per show.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE 17th-19th Sept
'It Takes A Village' is one of the Republic of Ireland's first outdoor music festivals, and it recently confirmed they’re going ahead this month.
They will be returning to Trabolgan Holiday Village in Cork from Friday, 17 to Sunday, 19 September 2021.
General sale tickets will cost €209, available from 12 pm on Thursday, August 12.
Tickets can be purchased in groups of between two to nine people and includes three nights accommodation in a self-catering house, a weekend festival ticket, plus private parking. The festival is strictly over 21s.
The all-Irish lineup for 'It Takes A Village' has also been announced. It includes a mix of music acts, comedians and podcast stars such as Blindboy, Those Nervous Animals, Gemma Dunleavy, Fish Go Deep, Yenkee, John Francis Flynn, TPM, Sinead Quinlan and many, many more.
All of the performances and events will take place outdoors and all attendees and performers will have to adhere to strict COVID regulations. In order to be able to attend 'It Takes A Village', a digital Covid Cert OR a Negative Antigen Test OR a Negative PCR Test will be required.
FALL RIGHT INTO PLACE 8th to 12th Sept
Strange Brew, a Galway based record label has announced a brand new festival, Fall Right Into Place, in the grounds of Claregalway Castle, just outside Galway City.
Taking place over 5 nights, acts taking part include the Villagers, Daithi, Bell X1, Ailbhe Reddy, The Mary Wallopers, Bitch Falcon, Soda Blonde, and Saint Sister.
The event is socially distant and will be sold in pods of 4 & 6, with a click & collect bar services as well as some very tasty food options.
Tickets are €35 (+charges) per person per day, with each day been sold on a staggered basis, and are available from fallrightintoplace.ie from today.
For arts events, here's what's coming up...
DUBLIN FRINGE FESTIVAL 11th-26th Sept
Dublin Fringe is ionic when it comes to the arts. The annual event is “a curated, multi-disciplinary festival”, that offers “fresh and innovative approaches to the arts from Irish and international makers.”
This year there’s a huge mix of events, both live and virtual, including outdoor visual art, live open-air performances at Dublin Castle and Grand Canal Dock, music and comedy gigs in the Abbey Theatre, Project Arts Centre, Smock Alley, Chapel Royal and Draíocht Blanchardstown, plus night classes and audio experiences.
We'd highly recommend the Film Reads: The Breakfast Club event by Dreamgun.
If theatre is what you’re looking for, there's also the Dublin Theatre Festival, which starts at the end of the month on 30th September and runs until mid-October.
GALWAY INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL 28th August-18th September
Also in person and online, this festival is over 40 years old and mixes theatre, music, visual arts, dance and much more.
Definitely check out the Mirror Pavilion by John Gerrard while you’re down in Galway, as it is a stunning art piece that reflects on the climate change crisis.
Other exciting events include a performance from Other Voices in a livestream from Galway’s beautiful 13th century St. Nicholas’ Church, an outdoor production of Thomas Kilroy’s The Seagull [after Chekhov] which sees Druid return to Coole Park, and a talk from the extraordinary Sinéad Burke called Talking the Lens.
See giaf.ie to buy tickets and for more info. It kicks off this Sunday.
CLIFDEN ARTS FESTIVAL 15th-23rd September
At 44 years old, Clifden Arts Festival is the longest-running community arts festival in the country. It’s all about music, stories, and illumination.
There will be folklore readings this year, a visual arts programme, a free historical walking tour, a musical performance from The Irish Chamber Orchestra with special guests, and readings and discussions from renowned author Colm Tóibín among others.
RTÉ current affairs presenter David McCullagh offers searing biographical insight into Éamon de Valera, and actor Gabriel Byrne chats about the highs and lows of his life and career.
Some events are free while others are priced between €5 and €25
HINTERLAND FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND LITERATURE 9th-12th Sept
The Hinterland Festival of Arts and Literature in Kells have moved back from the pandemic-stricken online festival of 2020 to an ‘in person’ event this year, so not a total return to normality but a step in the right direction.
This year, they bring their usual mix of literature, history, music, drama, and magic. They’ll be highlighting the music of David Bowie, staging a couple of ambitious theatre projects, meeting some of the hottest new Irish authors as well as some old friends and reflecting on the surreality of the last eighteen months.
All events are fifty-five minutes in duration with some free events, such as an Alice in Wonderland treasure hunt, while others cost between €5 and €12.
Last but not least, our food events recommendations are...
TASTE OF DUBLIN 1st-5th September
Takes place in the stunning Iveagh gardens at the start of this month over five days, visitors to Taste of Dublin can enjoy Ireland’s latest restaurant offerings, mingle with home grown chefs, indulge in gourmet produce, and catch up with friends.
There are still tickets available for the Taste Theatre but some are booking up so book now to avoid disappointment.
Other events include The Gaiety School of Acting Presents Bite Sized Theatre, Food producer showcases, Wine Masterclasses, Hidden Food Trails, Live Music, Panel Discussions, and chats on Sustainability.
GALWAY OYSTER AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 25th Sept
This event, the oldest oyster festival in the world (having launched in September 1954), is a must for seafood lovers.
It’s gotten rave reviews over the years with past guests including director John Huston, actor Bob Hope, golfer Christy O’Connor JR, well known chefs such as Clodagh McKenna and Martin Shanahan, Irish Rugby hero Brian O’Driscoll, current President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and more.
The two main events of this year’s festical will be the Oyster Opening Competitions with food and live music (€80 a ticket), and the Mardi Gras with a buffet and dinner (€120), at which they encourage you to dress as extravagantly as possible, with both taking place on Saturday 25th of September.
Tickets are pricey but they cover a good amount of food and drink.
See galwayoysterfestival.com for more.
ARMAGH FOOD AND CIDER WEEKEND 9th-12th Sept
The food and cider events of this weekend in Armagh are just so delicious sounding.
The Thursday events include Flash Fiction in the Orchard, Vegetarian Celebration, Ciders and Charcuterie, Brookvale Farm Tour with Talks and Tastings, and Feast of Fire.
Friday events include a Blackwell House Cake and Bread Masterclass, a Foodie Film Night screening of Chocolat, Wine v Cider, a Sundown Market, a Courtyard Luncheon with Tour of Gardens, and a Farm to Fork Five Course Tasting Menu.
There’s an Orchard Market, Cookery School, Apple Baking and Picking, and a Tea Afternoon event over the weekend too.
See visitarmagh.com for more.