The Clifden Arts Festival returns to Connemara this September for its 48th edition, with The Journey - Through Time, Memory & Imagination serving as the theme for this year's event, and a programme celebrating art, story, and shared experience.
Running from 17th–28th September, festival highlights include musical performances by Hothouse Flowers, All Folk'd Up and Cork’s White Horse Guitar Club, each offering their own unique take on traditional Irish sounds, fused with influences from across the globe.
Storytelling takes centre stage with Seamus O’Rourke’s one-man show Indigestion, while comic Tommy Tiernan and yarn-spinner Martin Shaw present an evening of myth and magic; elsewhere, economist David McWilliams and historian Diarmaid Ferriter offer insights into modern Ireland.
Novelist Donal Ryan heads the literary lineup, alongside a reading with playwright Marina Carr and poet Mary O’Malley.
The Irish Chamber Orchestra will perform Water Music under the baton of Richard Egarr, in a programme featuring Deirdre McKay’s poignant Meltwater alongside Handel’s celebrated suites.
This year’s visual arts programme offers a journey unto itself, from Eoin O’Malley’s seascapes painted by mouth and Kari Cahill’s fire-imbued pigment works, to an outdoor performance from performance art duo Synaptic Space (Olivia Hassett and Rachel Macmanus) exploring themes of ageing.
Japanese land artist Mayumi Nakabayashi will transform St. Mary’s Chapel and Graveyard into a sanctuary of natural mandalas, inviting visitors to witness and take part in the creative process, and the popular schools programme also returns to Clifden Arts Festival, fostering creativity in younger generations across Connemara.
Festival Director Desmond Lally says: "This year, we reflect on what it means to move - through time, across place, and within ourselves. The Journey is personal, collective, and deeply human. We’re honoured to welcome artists whose work speaks to that shared experience."
The Clifden Arts Festival takes place from 17th - 28th September 2025 - find out more here.
