The Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals are set to kick off on the 7th of August, and a host of Irish acts will be representing us in the Scottish capital for what is the world's biggest festival of arts.
Bigger names like David O’Doherty, Jason Byrne and Andrew Maxwell will be lighting up the stage at the Fringe, but it’s also an important opportunity for lesser-known Irish performers to build up a profile and an audience.
Talented comedians Conor O’Toole, Alison Spittle, Damian Clark, Christ Kent and Aisling Bea are ones to watch out for, while sketch group Foil, Arms and Hog will be doing Ireland proud in their seventh year at the festival.
Edinburgh helped to launch the careers of O'Doherty, Tommy Tiernan, Sean Hughes and Dylan Moran after they won the main comedy prize at the Festival and it is now an essential part of the comedy circuit for aspiring funnymen and women.
Irish theatre, too, should not be overlooked. Culture Ireland are supporting several shows in this year’s festival, including a stage version of Eimear McBride’s award-winning book, A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing, as well as the world premiere of The Last Hotel, an opera by playwright Enda Walsh (best known for The Walworth Farce and Disco Pigs).
Respected theatre company Rough Magic will be reviving their hit show How to Keep an Alien, while Fishamble presents Pat Kinevane’s one-man show, Underneath.
A record-breaking 3,400 productions are set to take place as part of this year’s Fringe festival, the largest arts festival in the world. The shows comprise everything from burlesque to beat poetry, and take place everywhere from street corners to cafés – making this August an ideal time to soak up some culture.
Kayla Walsh
