Public invited to view Shakespeare festival artworks in Carrick-on-Suir castle
Artworks created for The Bard in the Quarter Festival in Carrick-on-Suir are free for the public to view
All performances at Carrick's Ormond Castle for The Bard in the Quarter Festival from August 14 to 16 are now booked out but the public will be able to come and visit the festival's impressive art installations in the Tudor manor including a 96ft long fabric recreation of the River Suir.
Organisers want the festival celebrating the works of William Shakespeare to be accessible to the whole community.
“While live performance tickets are entirely gone, the breathtaking art installations inside the castle will be open to the general public for viewing over the weekend, ensuring the entire community can experience this historic cultural moment.
“If you missed out on live performance tickets, you are warmly invited to come along to Ormond Castle to witness these works in the Long Gallery first-hand.”
The Festival is being organised by the Tudor Artisan Hub Artist Collective, in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW), Brewery Lane Theatre, and the Strand Theatre/Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society. It is part of Tipperary's Cultúr 2026, cultural programme for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Some of the festival's most striking artworks have been created for The Empty Tunic: Echoes Across Waters – From Moyle to Avon to the Suir event in Ormond Castle's Long Gallery on Sunday, August 16. It will combine visual art, music and spoken word to link William Shakespeare’s grief for his young son, Hamnet, to the legendary Irish Children of Lir folk story and feature the poetry of the late Michael Coady.
Artist Sheila Wood has sculpted the Empty Tunic and the Children of Lir for the event and the centrepiece will be a 96-foot fabric recreation of the River Suir flowing through the historic hall. It was hand-crafted in just weeks by 'The Memory Keep Makers' community creative team using blue-fabric donations.
Folklore artist Laurie Calahan of Celtic Earth has crafted expressive "Protection Vessels" artworks using botanicals, soil, historic slate, and river rocks from the Lingaun Valley slate quarries to set an atmospheric background tied to Irish folklore and the landscape.
"An idea of this scale normally demands months of planning, creative guidance, and countless hours of crafting," said producer Linda Fahy.
"While we only have a few weeks to build this initial, symbolic version, this installation is a creative foundation. It is something we would absolutely love to return to and further develop for future heritage projects and cultural events in this historic hall.
"Some projects arrive, and some quietly take hold of your heart. What began as a simple concept in a grant proposal has blossomed into something far richer, shaped by the imagination, generosity, and talents of 14 extraordinary local creative collaborators.
“An idea of this scale normally demands months of planning, but our community makers stepped up to weave this magic together in just a few short weeks."
For information on ticket availability for festival events or to join the cancellation waiting lists for sold-out performances contact the Tudor Artisan Hub at (086) 2560609.