RTÉ will again celebrate Culture Night on Friday 19th September with a rich schedule of live programmes across its television, radio and online services.
rte.ie/culture will be guest edited for the day by acclaimed novelist and playwright Belinda McKeon, who will celebrate Ireland's ongoing 'green wave’ of creativity and culture.
Live performances from some of Ireland's best musicians and performers will take centre stage across RTÉ One, RTÉ Player, RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ lyric fm, with a special live performance from the RTÉ Concert Orchestra as RTÉ once again puts the spotlight on the richness and diversity of cultural talent in Ireland today. Take a deeper dive into our Culture Night highlights below...
SPECIAL RTÉ BROADCAST LIVE FROM GALWAY
RTÉ Culture Night Live will broadcast live at 8.00pm on RTÉ One and RTE Player. Coming to you from the heart of Galway City, the programme hosted by Carl Mullan and Doireann Ní Ghlacáin will feature a vibrant mix of musical performances live from the historic St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, alongside events taking place nationwide.
The line-up features the all-female trad group Biird, this year’s Culture Night Ambassadors, and a cultural reflection from President Higgins. Viewers can look forward to the Top 8 Streetdance Battle dance troupe showcasing electrifying dance exchanges at King John’s Castle (pictured), Limerick, while Anna Geary will be giving us flavour of Culture Night activities from Cork City.
Celebrating our architectural heritage for Culture Night, Amanda Bone takes us inside 18 Ormond Quay Upper, a beautifully restored 1840s Dublin merchant shop-house, brought back to life after a three-year conservation project by Dublin Civic Trust.
NATIONWIDE on RTÉ ONE and RTÉ PLAYER
On this Culture Night, Nationwide celebrates theatre, music, and all kinds of cultural gatherings. The team travels to the coastal town of Balbriggan in North County Dublin to explore what is one of Ireland’s finest new theatres. They hear about some of the many Culture Night events planned both locally and across the country and presenter Anne Cassin talks to Sinead O’Reilly from The Arts Council, to learn more about this annual celebration of arts, heritage and culture.
The Lark Concert Hall in Balbriggan County Dublin is a unique new music venue. Made possible through a generous act of philanthropy, no expense was spared in bringing this vision to life. The facility includes a concert hall, a music school and accommodation for visiting musicians. Reporter John Kilraine has the story behind this project.
Also on the show, reporter Zainab Boladale recently spent the day in Balbriggan, meeting local groups as they prepared for Culture Night.
RTÉ RADIO 1 ARENA SPECIAL
RTÉ Radio 1 will present an hour-long Arena special, live from Studio 1 in RTÉ’s Radio Centre, featuring performances from Tolu Makay, Christine Dwyer Hickey and more.
2FM RISING CULTURE NIGHT LIVE EVENT FROM THE MODEL, SLIGO
RTÉ 2fm will continue to celebrate the next wave of breakthrough Irish music talent with 2fm Rising x Culture Night, a live gig in The Model in Sligo hosted by RTE 2fm DJ Cormac Battle and broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm’s Beta Da Silva show, from 8pm – 11pm (with live performances from 9pm – 11pm). The exciting line-up includes Cliffords, ESSIRAY, Bold Love, F3MIII, 2fm DJ Emma Power and more.
Tickets: This event is free. Entry by wristband at The Model in Sligo on a first-come, first-served basis on the night.
RTÉ lyric fm LIVE WITH PAUL HERRIOTT
RTÉ lyric fm will celebrate Culture Night with Paul Herriott who will bring listeners live music bursting with colour and spirit from three continents from the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Paul will chat to Feodora Prize 2025 winner Michael Gallen, whose new work Bád ón Alltar will be premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland under the baton of David Brophy.
Programme:
Copland | El Salón México
Paddy Kiernan | Crossroads of Twilight
Shahab Coohe | Cerulean
Ravel | Tzigane
Jessie Montgomery | Strum
Michael Gallen | Bád ón Alltar (Irish Premiere – Co-commissioned by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, L’Orchestre National de Bretagne)
Kodály | Dances of Galánta
Performed by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland with David Brophy (conductor), Nava, Sarah Brazil (violin), Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (voice, Irish flute), Maria Ryan (voice, viola), Michael Gallen (voice, piano) and Dónal O’Connor (voice, fiddle)
LORCAN MURRAY'S CLASSIC DRIVE, CULTURE NIGHT SPECIAL
Lorcan’s show live from the RTÉ lyric fm studios in the heart of Limerick City is real celebration of music and culture with a focus on Limerick and the wonderful variety of music and the arts produced there. On this Culture Night special, we hear from Limerick folk singer Emma Langford and Adrian Mantu of the ConTempo Quartet on cello with Dermot Dunne on accordion performing pieces from their brand-new album Cello Accordion Ireland.
There’s also a live performance from the Irish Guitar Quartet, and a walk around the dynamic exhibition at the nearby Hunt Museum – a short stroll from the lyric studios. Join Lorcan this Culture Night evening for a programme of beautiful music, brilliant colour and of course the usual soundtrack and chat to keep your Friday evening lively.
RTÉ CONCERT ORCHESTRA - SPECIAL LIVE PERFORMANCE
In a special free concert for Culture Night in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean McDermott St, Dublin, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra under its Principal Guest Conductor Stephen Bell will perform classical, film and traditional favourites as well as music by special guest, cellist Patrick Dexter.
Opening with Copland’s powerful Fanfare for the Common Man and ending with the stirring Radestky March, along the way the programme will include the lyrical Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission and the thrilling finale to the William Tell Overture. Cellist Patrick Dexter will join the orchestra for three of his own pieces as well as Raglan Road, and the RTÉ CO will also contribute an Irish flavour with Noel Kelehan’s beautiful Cuchulainn’s Lament.
This free event (no booking required), presented by Dublin City Council and North East Inner City (NEIC) takes place from 6.30pm to 7.30pm (doors at 6pm).
Programme:
Copland | Fanfare for the Common Man
Mozart | Overture The Marriage of Figaro
Patrick Dexter | The Two Sisters
Patrick Dexter | Cold Blue Atlantic Air
Rossini | Overture William Tell – Finale
Morricone | The Mission – Gabriel’s Oboe
Offenbach | Overture Orpheus in the Underworld – Finale
Karl Jenkins | Palladio: 1st movement
Patrick Dexter | Féile
Patrick Dexter | Raglan Road
Kelehan | Cuchulainn’s Lament
Johann Strauss | Radetzky March
Performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra with Stephen Bell (conductor) and Patrick Dexter (cello).
Find out more about this year's Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir programme here
