Darren Kiely, Roisin Ó and The Scratch to headline Laois Folly Festival

While Electric Picnic ticket holders await their line-up with bated breath, another Laois music festival that it supports has just announced its headline acts.

The Folly Festival 2024 returns on July 5 and 6 to the beautifully intimate venue of Nancy’s Yard, beneath the towering ruins of the historic Cullohill Castle in Cullohill, Co Laois.

The village which is birthplace to Ballymaloe Cookery School chefs Darina Allen and Rory O'Connell, is also home to the young festival rapidly making its mark for top music and comedy.

Following on from their sell-out success last year, Folly Festival early bird tickets are now on sale.

Headlining on Friday night is Darren Kiely, the Irish singer-songwriter who has accumulated 3 million global streams and has sold-out headline shows at Rockwood Music Hall and Mercury Lounge in NYC.

Singer Darren Kiely.

The Scratch - currently one the most talked about bands in the country signed to Sony Music and garnering a huge fan base as they tour the US and Canada - will headline Saturday.

The Scratch.

Róisín O a firm favourite on the festival circuit, has most recently toured Ireland, the UK and Australia in the wake of her chart-topping album Courageous.

Dea Matrona, an all-female trio from Belfast have amassed over 5.7 million views on You Tube and secured a No. 1 on both the UK and Ireland iTunes charts.

Also on the lineup is  Irish folk pop artist Oscar Blue, Dublin soul-pop artist Jessica Doolan, young Dublin singer Saibh Skelly, Paddy Keys, and from Laois Dooley Brothers and Cullohill Comhaltas, with the Garda Band and many more over the festival weekend.

And it’s not just about the musical acts, comedy is also central to the entertainment! Performances are punctuated by numerous daytime events for all ages, which starts off with the scenic Cullohill Mountain Walk and continues throughout the day, with everything from artisan food and crafts, family activities, children’s entertainment at Nancy’s Yard and much more.

Festival tickets are not required to take part in the daytime events and everyone is welcome to attend!

The Folly Festival is Ireland’s first-ever gender-balanced music festival, which in 2018 first addressed the discrepancy within the entertainment industry, where male artists outnumbered female artists 5:1 – a ratio which is mirrored throughout the industry’s engineering and production roles. In selecting performers, Folly Festival actively promotes gender-balance, selecting the lineup accordingly, with an equal number of male and female acts.

All proceeds from the Folly Festival are used by the organisers Cullohill Community Council for Village renewal projects along with donations to local schools, clubs and societies. The Folly Festival is brought to you by Cullohill Community Council with the support of Electric Picnic, Laois Partnership Company and Laois County Council.

Ticket info - Early Bird weekend tickets from https://thefolly.ie/tickets/ . For a limited time, these tickets are available with a massive 25% off.