Founded as the Lismore Opera Festival in 2010 by Dieter Kaegi and Jennifer O’Connell, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (BVOF) has developed into a significant annual cultural event in County Waterford, supported by private philanthropy and the Arts Council of Ireland. The festival presents opera and classical music in a range of distinctive settings, including Lismore Castle, St Carthage’s Cathedral, and the semi-restored Dromore Yard, alongside dining experiences that form part of the wider festival programme.