Super Cashel Arts Festival is a massive success this year

The Cashel Arts Festival is a firm favourite in the calendar for many people and this year, many said, was one of the most successful ever. 

Performers and the public enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere in Cashel of the Kings on Arts festival weekend with stalls, workshops, performances and much more drawing the crowds to Tipperary. 

 The highlight for many was the wonderful performance by musician Lisa Hannigan on stage in Brú Boru on Saturday where she held the audience in the palm of her hand for the full set.

 The sold out gig brought people from all over Ireland and many from Cashel spoke of how great it was to have a household name performing in their town. 

 She was supported by local band Between//Roads as they kept the crowd nicely warmed up with some tremendous tunes of their own composition. 

 The music didn’t finish there as on Sunday, during the day, the participants in a Choral Workshop  performed on the Rock of Cashel.

It was a well attended event and to cap it off that night, The Castle String Quartet brought the energy of  the Netflix period drama Bridgerton into the atmospheric candlelit  St. John the Baptist Cathedral, John Street. 

The musicians were wonderful all weekend and the crowds turned up in huge numbers. 

Internet sensation Garron Noone, a talented musician and comedian, had got the weekend off to a flyer with his set  in Brú Boru on Friday night.  It was that kind of high octane festival with standing ovations from grateful crowds all weekend. 

The theme of the weekend was SPARKS and there were plenty of those from the opening of the festival last Thursday evening. 

There was plenty of  free or reasonably priced events so the festival was accessible for all and the top class organising committee must be applauded for their efforts. 

  At the opening night  in Brú Boru, Dr. Martin Worthington introduced the World’s oldest Story, Gilgamesh.

  Light and shadow populated with the figures from the tale brought a fantastically artistic feel to events.

Best of all, it was accessible for all. Children and adults revelled in the magic with the Rock there offering a hint of another world in the background. 

At the opening the curator, art historian and writer, Catherine Marshall  launched the Visual Arts programme and  exhibitions featured works by Cornelius Brown and Helen Comerford (1945-2024).

 ‘A Garden is a Stone’s Throw from the Sea’ was the Cornelius Brown exhibition. Sparks flew at the weekend too  as a brand new fire show ‘Mobius’ by Rogú was performed to gasps from the large crowd there to see some magic.     Comhaltas Ceoltóirí musicians brought a flavour of the countryside to proceedings and the feel good factor cannot be underestimated with popular  events like this. 

Hotel Lux: An Irishwoman in Moscow was a big hit too while The Bolton Lecture was given by Gary Younge.

Many attended workshops such as  Family Zumba with Yuliya which was a big hit at the weekend. 

 Little Music Makers with Patrice Davern, (0 to 4-year-olds), Kreative Kingdom ) 6 – 12-year-olds), Drop-in Sculptural workshops to make a bird, dragonfly or butterfly in natural materials with Lynn Kirkham (eight years to adult) all kept parents and children entertained and feeling like an important part of things. 

Forensic Science for Teenagers was a massive hit with many adults also, afterwards all were saying how wonderful the experience was. 

Autumn Wreath-making with Róisín and Candle painting with Lisa (adults) ensured a wider array of events than ever before. 

The Plaza was buzzing with a Craft Market and entertainment all weekend. 

Groups like St Patrick’s Brass Band, Southside Moves, Burgess School of Dance, Dr Hurley Pipe Band, The Music Department of Cashel Community School, James Murphy, guitarist and singer from Boherlahan and singer/songwriter, Mary Nugent performed across the weekend to much applause.

 Uptown at the old Xtra Vision shop on Friar Street Mark Fitzell, the author of several books of Faces and Places in Cashel, added a visual element with a display and a moving record of play on Cashel’s Streets. This was co-ordinated by Rebecca Lenehan, writer and researcher.

 All in all there was something for everyone. Well done to the organisers for a top class Arts Festival.