Events announced for Tipperary’s Cultúr 2026 celebrations

Tipperary is set to host a programme of music, dance, literature, spectacle and community celebrations as part of Ireland’s cultural programme for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union until December 2026, Cultúr 2026: Sharing Ireland’s Culture, the official cultural programme of Ireland’s Presidency, is bringing Ireland’s artists, creativity and heritage to stages and communities across Europe and at home.

Supported by a €5 million investment from Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., and presented by Culture Ireland, Cultúr 2026 is bringing the work of Irish artists to audiences across all 27 EU Member States and beyond, while ensuring communities throughout Ireland can take part in the Presidency at home.

Patrick O’Donovan T.D., Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, said: “Cultúr 2026 – Sharing Ireland’s Culture is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the breadth of Irish culture, not only on stages across Europe, but in communities throughout Ireland.

“It was important to me that Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union should also be celebrated here at home, and that communities in every county have an opportunity to take part. Our culture is rooted in people and place, in our artists, our language, our heritage and our communities. Through Cultúr 2026, we are creating opportunities for people to come together, experience the arts and celebrate the culture we share.”

Working in partnership with Local Authorities across the country, Cultúr 2026 is bringing the Presidency directly into communities, with each Local Authority shaping a programme that reflects the artists, heritage and creative life of its area. The programme also creates opportunities for cultural exchange across Europe, with many counties developing collaborations with their twin European cities, strengthening long-standing relationships and forging new connections through arts and culture.

Spanning theatre, literature, music, visual art, architecture, dance, film and more, these local, national and international collaborations reflect a living Irish culture, rooted in tradition and place, shaped by contemporary creativity, and open to exchange and connection across Europe.

Here in Tipperary, that celebration will unfold against the backdrop of some of the county’s most historic places and through festivals and cultural organisations across Cashel, Clonmel, Thurles, Nenagh, Cahir, Tipperary Town and Roscrea.

One of the highlights will see acclaimed bilingual singer-songwriter Pádraig Jack perform at the Rock of Cashel on Friday, 11 September, as part of Cashel Arts Festival and the EU Presidency Culture Programme. Performing in Irish and English in one of Ireland’s most iconic historic settings, the concert will celebrate Ireland’s living bilingual tradition and the place of the Irish language in contemporary artistic expression. Blending folk and pop with poetic songwriting, Pádraig Jack draws on tradition while bringing it to new audiences at home and internationally.

The concert leads a busy autumn of Cultúr 2026 activity across Co. Tipperary, connecting local communities with themes of cultural exchange, shared heritage and European collaboration.

On 26 September, Clonmel’s Harvest Fest will take on a European flavour as the town centre comes alive with street spectacle. Stilt walkers, hula-hoop performers and juggling street clowns will draw on European traditions of circus and street theatre, alongside performances from community choirs, céilí and youth dance groups.

At Tipperary Dance Festival at The Source Arts Centre in Thurles on 8 October, a special performance by a European dance company will be accompanied by an international symposium exploring the lived experiences of artists working within the EU and the role regional festivals play within the wider European cultural landscape.

On 11 October, musician, artist and storyteller Brendan Begley will appear at Nenagh Arts Centre as part of Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival for a bilingual conversation about his memoir Clann an tSeanamhuintire / Of My People. He will reflect on his life as a musician, artist, activist, festival organiser and television presenter, and on the people, places and traditions that have shaped him, followed by an evening of storytelling, song and music.

As Halloween approaches, Tipperary’s traditions of folklore, mythology and seasonal celebration come to the fore. A Scare in Cahir - Into the Wild, on 24 and 25 October, will bring free street theatre, circus and community activity to Cahir, drawing connections between Irish folklore and shared European traditions of mythology and seasonal celebration.

From 27–31 October, Spleodar Halloween Children’s Arts Festival in Nenagh will explore European folktales through parade and spectacle, with artist ROGU bringing stories to life through fire, alongside storytelling, puppet-making and creative workshops for children and young people.

On 31 October, Samhain Fest in Tipperary Town will celebrate the ancient Celtic festival with music, activities, food and fireworks, enhanced for Cultúr 2026 by a major street-theatre spectacle and community mask and lantern-making workshops.

The county programme concludes on 4 December, when The Taste of Music comes to the Castle Grounds in Roscrea. Part of The Taste of Roscrea festival, the special Friday-night event will bring together local artists from different backgrounds for an evening of music and live performance, creating a shared cultural experience to close Tipperary’s Presidency programme.

Together, Tipperary’s Cultúr 2026 events celebrate the distinctive creativity, heritage and cultural life of the county while connecting its artists and communities with a wider European programme, bringing the spirit of Ireland’s Presidency home and creating new opportunities for exchange and connection.

For more information on Cultúr 2026 events see irelandculture2026.eu