Cashel Arts Festival an 'unforgettable experience' packed with music and community spirit

The Cashel Arts Festival pulled out all the stops for its 23rd year, delivering a weekend filled with music, workshops, spectacle, and community spirit. 

The festival opened with a thoroughly engaging sports panel, Grassroots to Glory, hosted by Stephen Gleeson. Panelists Colm Bonnar, Eimear Ryan, Arthur O'Dea, and Séamus King brought together journalistic, historical, and lived experience to explore the GAA’s impact on Irish childhoods, its role in shaping Irish history, and the sport’s future.

Throughout the weekend festival-goers enjoyed guided tours of the Cashel Palace gardens and explored a vibrant visual arts programme curated by Catherine Marshall in the Chapter House.

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Friday introduced the weekends long list of workshops with activities ranging from felting, jewellery-making, and storytelling to children’s art sessions, drumming circles and lantern-making.

The handmade lanterns, made as part of one of the many out- reach programmes,  lit up Friday night’s stunning parade, where performance company Luxe led a procession of light and spectacle through Cashel’s streets, ending at Hore Abbey with a dazzling fire display.

The evening concluded with a powerful performance from indie band Hamsandwich at Brú Ború, which was enjoyed by all who attended.

On Saturday, Cashel’s streets came alive with music and performance.

Families enjoyed a lively mix of entertainment, including a pipe band, brass band, Wobbly Circus, Hakuna Matata acrobats, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí, Cashel Community School Musicians, and the Burgess School of Dance.

That night, laughter filled the town as Owen Colgan of Hardy Bucks and Cahir’s own Tom O’Mahony delivered a memorable comedy show.

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The festival’s long-standing institution, the Bolton Lecture, did not disappoint. Renowned scientist Luke O’Neill gave an enthralling talk on his groundbreaking research into inflammation.

One of the most striking features of this year’s festival was the sheer turnout, with locals and visitors alike flocking to events across town.

Families were especially well catered for, with countless workshops, Pilates, children's yoga, performances, and activities designed for the smallest patrons.

The energy and dedication of the volunteers and hardworking committee were visible everywhere, but nowhere more so than in the iconic yellow tent at the Cathedral Grounds.

Buzzing with activity all weekend, it became a hub of creativity, conversation, and community spirit, perfectly capturing the essence of the festival.

Despite the weekend’s rain, the festival ran smoothly. Some Sunday events shifted venues, but the change only enhanced the atmosphere.

The choral trail moved to St. John the Baptist Church and Halla na Féile, where audiences were treated to moving performances by choirs including the Sunday Morning Singers, New Inn Choir, Lady Desert, Thurles Community Choir, Boherlahan Parish Choir, Uproar, and Bella Voici. Latvian dancers, the band Ferns, and Groove Republic also kept spirits high.

Up on the Cathedral Grounds, visitors experienced Donal O’Céilleachair’s thought-provoking film We Are One as well as an environmental panel.

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The festival concluded in fitting style with Ardú, an accomplished acappella group whose soaring harmonies filled the Cathedral with awe.

Speaking to committee members revealed the heart behind the event: “For us this isn’t a festival that lasts a weekend, or even a year. It encapsulates decades of festivals before. It’s long nights and weekends figuring out what people will enjoy and what will make it special. The hard work becomes worth it the moment we see people engaging and asking for more. We’re already thinking about next year.”

The Cashel Arts Festival is entirely volunteer-run, powered by locals who devote countless hours to ensuring its success. The committee expressed gratitude to their many sponsors, including The Arts Council, Tipperary County Council, Creative Ireland, the Cashel Palace, Cian O’Carroll Solicitors, Fáilte Ireland, and Amneal.

This year’s festival once again proved that small-town events, fuelled by passion and community spirit, can deliver unforgettable experiences.

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