Kilkenny Arts Festival Programme 2018 by Kilkenny Arts Festival

kilkennyarts.ie Dreams and discoveries in Ireland’s medieval city

Welcome to eleven days of dreams and discoveries in Ireland’s medieval city… Kilkenny (Cill Cheannaigh or the Church of Canice) offers the visitor one of Ireland’s most memorable architectural ensembles, as a vibrant living city still laid out along its ‘medieval mile’ from the castle to the cathedral. Its history stretches back 1,500 years to the arrival of Canice and his fellow monks to found a new

monastic settlement on the hill where St Canice’s Cathedral still stands. Few festivals in the world can boast such atmospheric ancient spaces, echoing their history but ideal for performance and embracing the visitors and audiences of today.

Book your seat! ONLINE today at kilkennyarts.ie BY PHONE from 12 July on +353 56 775 2175 IN PERSON from 12 July at the Festival Box Office, 76 John Street, Kilkenny Weekdays: 10am - 5pm. During the Festival: daily 10am - 7pm

Under 25s €10 ticket!

This year we are introducing special €10 tickets for all events for Under 25s. A limited number of €10 tickets will be available for each event on a first-come, first-served basis. See page 48 for details.

COVER IMAGE STE MURRAY

St Canice’s Cathedral, 13th century. However special our musicians may be, there’s always an extra shiver down the spine when you hear their music reverberate in the magnificent acoustics of the second longest cathedral nave in Ireland with its glorious timbered ceiling. St Canice’s has been at the heart of the Festival since our first edition in 1974.

St John’s Priory, 13th century. To step off busy John Street and into the intimate calm of the Priory (called ‘The Lantern of Ireland’ for its famous stained glass before Cromwell arrived!) creates the perfect atmosphere to discover music, whether much loved or never heard before.

Castle Yard, 18th century. Built by the Duke of Ormonde as a Georgian stable yard on the semicircular plan of a Greek theatre, this unique space serves as the Festival’s open-air theatre, with superb acoustics and a magical atmosphere for Shakespeare under the setting sun, moon and stars. Kilkenny Castle, 12th century. This imposing stronghold of the Ormondes and Chief Butlers of Ireland provides the Festival with a stunning space for talks and conversation in the lofty Parade Tower. Its magnificent demesne, the Castle Park, is an oasis of calm for locals and visitors alike in the heart of the medieval city, and also the location for many of our free performances for all ages.

Rothe House, 16th century. The last remaining example in Ireland of a renaissance merchant’s townhouse is one of Kilkenny’s ‘must sees’. During the Festival it buzzes with energy, the perfect venue for exhibitions and events, including pop-up performances in its beautiful 17th-century merchant’s garden.

For 45 years our funders and partners have played an invaluable role in helping Kilkenny Arts Festival to flourish. We greatly appreciate their continuing support. PRINCIPAL FUNDER

PUBLIC FUNDERS

HEADLINE EVENT PARTNERS

MAJOR DONORS

Loretta Brennan Glucksman

EVENT PARTNERS

Bill & Denise Whelan

Joneen Casey

MEDIA PARTNERS

SUPPLY PARTNERS

KILKENNY HONDA CENTRE

CULTURAL PARTNERS BUTLER

GALLERY

BUTLER

GALLERY

BUTLER

GALLERY

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the 45th edition of Kilkenny Arts Festival – a year of several firsts for us. We’re collaborating with Rough Magic on a brand new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, specially created for our iconic open-air theatrical venue, Castle Yard. Don’t miss a fabulously funny and magical night of Shakespeare under the stars with a brilliant young cast directed by Lynne Parker. We’re also presenting for the first time a staged full-scale opera: the first ever production in Ireland of The Return of Ulysses, Monteverdi’s magnificent retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. We’re delighted to be collaborating with Opera Collective Ireland and the renowned Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, with a world-class creative team led by director Patrick Mason and our regular operatic partner, conductor Christian Curnyn. This August we also present world premiere productions of two Festival commissions: Inventions, a new work from Irish Modern Dance Theatre in the former Carlton Ballroom starring the extraordinary Valda Setterfield and Oona Doherty, and The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand, a free aerial circus show for all ages by the stunningly talented Loosysmokes, playing in Kilkenny Castle Park twice daily. Our music programme offers a more diverse range of concerts than ever, from morning till late at night. Dive into a ten-day journey through the chamber music masterpieces of Johannes Brahms; a three-concert series by our resident ensemble, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, contrasting Beethoven’s astonishing later works with thrilling 21st-century compositions; mesmeric collaborations in the Marble City Sessions hosted by our artistic partner Martin Hayes; a mouth-watering sequence of singersongwriters at the Set, and international stars of jazz and folk in partnership with the Sofa Sessions and Rollercoaster Records. Our spoken word events include a number of themed series focussing on politics, history and culture, from Ireland’s prospects in a turbulent world to two Irish titans of the 19th century. The great Eavan Boland is our poet in residence, and don’t miss the premiere of our latest project with regular artistic partner Stephen Rea, as he performs Derek Mahon’s epic poetic sequence New York Time in a newly commissioned musical setting.

PHOTO PAT MOORE

And while you’re out and about during the day, our exhibitions of art and design include unmissable new shows at the Butler Gallery and the National Design & Craft Gallery, as well as bold new visions for Kilkenny’s cultural future at Rothe House. Dive in and discover something for everyone – young and old, day and night, indoors and out – in some of the most magical spaces in Ireland. We’re all looking forward to welcoming you in August! Eugene Downes Festival Director

THEATRE, OPERA & DANCE 04

PREMIERE ROUGH MAGIC & KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL

A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare

Shakespeare in the Castle Yard is always a Festival ‘must see’ and an unforgettable theatrical experience for young and old. This year, Rough Magic’s new and uniquely Irish take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, created specially for Castle Yard, will offer outrageous proof that Shakespeare is for life, not just for the Leaving Cert. Spirits, lovers, tyrants, fools – which is which? Under Lynne Parker’s direction, Rough Magic’s dynamic new creative ensemble of actors and designers presents Shakespeare’s most magical comedy.

Please note: this is an outdoor performance. Please dress for the weather. No umbrellas allowed.

From within the walls of the Castle Yard springs a parallel reality as the natural forces of magnetism and electricity run wild; a topsyturvy universe ignited by incandescent language, where the laws of physics warp, the mind plays tricks, and civilisation crumbles beneath a crazy bunch of characters who don’t know which way to turn. We mortals may have meddled with nature too long… Duration 2 hrs 30 mins approx. (including interval)

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8PM

9 10 11 12 CASTLE YARD ADMISSION €26/€24, PREVIEW (THURSDAY 9) €20

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THU

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8PM

8PM 8PM 8PM 8PM

14 15 16 17 18 SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 48

THEATRE 05

Director Lynne Parker Lighting & Set Design Sarah Jane Shiels Costume Design Katie Davenport Sound Design & Composition Denis Clohessy

‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ from Act 1 Scene 1 is just one of the many popular phrases Shakespeare introduced to the English language

PHOTO STE MURRAY

Cast Martha Breen Amy Conroy Peter Corboy Aoibhéann McCann Karen McCartney Paul Mescal Conor O’Riordan Kieran Roche

06 OPERA

an all-round perfection that was wondrous The Sunday Business Post on Opera Collective Ireland’s Agrippina

a real treat The Irish Times on Giulio Cesare at the 2017 Kilkenny Arts Festival

Il Ritorno d’Ulisse, commissioned by the city of Venice in 1640, was one of the first operas to be written for a public audience

OPERA 07

IRISH PREMIERE PRODUCTION

Director Patrick Mason

OPERA COLLECTIVE IRELAND & KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL

Conductor Christian Curnyn

The Return of Ulysses

Set & Lighting Design Paul Keogan

By Claudio Monteverdi

In the first ever staging in Ireland of one of the greatest baroque operas, Monteverdi’s magnificent music finds a perfect creative match in the human drama of Homer’s Odyssey. Ten years after the fall of Troy, the hero Ulysses has still not found his way home as the gods quarrel over his fate. In Ithaca, his wife Penelope has waited faithfully, hoping against hope that he may still be alive. Meanwhile the suitors are circling… The groundbreaking company Opera Collective Ireland joins forces with Kilkenny Arts Festival to showcase Ireland’s finest operatic talent of the younger generation in a new production by Tony Award-winning director Patrick Mason. Christian Curnyn returns to the Festival following superb performances of Idomeneo and Giulio Cesare to conduct one of the world’s most acclaimed early music ensembles, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. The heart-stopping tale of true love in the face of adversity is performed in a vivid new English translation by Christopher Cowell. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience a glorious operatic marriage of Homer’s epic and renaissance Venice. Supported by the Opera Syndicate Duration 3 hrs 30 mins approx. (including interval)

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 48

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7PM

3PM

9 10 12

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €40/€35 €29 BALCONY

don’t miss Greek Minister of Culture Lydia Koniordou discussing Greek culture from Ulysses to the present day (see page 27)

Cast Eoin Conway Human Frailty/Peisander Brendan Collins Time/Antinous Rachel Goode Fortune/Juno Emma Morwood Love/Minerva Andrew Boushell Jove/Amphinous Alan Ewing Neptune Gyula Nagy Ulysses Raphaela Mangan Penelope Andrew Gavin Telemachus Peter Harris Eurymachus Rory Musgrave Eumaeus Bríd Ní Ghruagáin Euryclea Ross Scanlon Irus Margaret Bridge Melantho

PHOTO MARSHALL LIGHT STUDIO

Costume Design Catherine Fay

08 DANCE

WORLD PREMIERE/FESTIVAL COMMISSION IRISH MODERN DANCE THEATRE

Inventions The team behind the award-winning Lear, a 2014 Festival commission, returns with Inventions – a dynamic new work centred around two extraordinary women: Oona Doherty, one of Europe’s most gifted dance artists, and 83-year-old dance legend Valda Setterfield, winner of the Edinburgh Festival’s Herald Angel Award for her portrayal of Lear. Taking place in the atmospheric Carlton Ballroom, a space where couples meet, Inventions focuses on two contrasting couples, one falling in love, the other falling into an abyss. Choreographed by John Scott and inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, this thrilling work will weave new stories in the old ballroom that echoes to the memory of dances past.

Choreography John Scott Soundscape Tom Lane based on JS Bach’s Two-Part Inventions Design & Lighting Installation Eric Würtz Dancers Ashley Chen Kevin Coquelard Oona Doherty Valda Setterfield Mufutau Yusuf

PHOTO EWA FIGASZEWSKA

Duration 60 mins approx.

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17 18 19

6PM & 10PM

4PM

CARLTON BALLROOM ADMISSION €18/€16

PERFORMANCE

one of the finest poets at work in the last half-century

The Irish Times

PHOTO CORMAC LARKIN

the original 1995 version of New York Time was entitled The Hudson Letter

PREMIERE

Stephen Rea PERFORMS

New York Time by Derek Mahon WITH A NEW SCORE BY

Neil Martin

After his triumphant, sold-out performances of Seamus Heaney’s Aeneid Book VI and Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis, Stephen Rea returns to the Watergate for a brand new project with one of Ireland’s – and the world’s – greatest living poets. Derek Mahon’s New York Time is an intensely personal poetic sequence drawing on his years living in Manhattan. Featuring a new live score composed by Rea’s regular collaborator Neil Martin and performed by piano wizard Brian Connor, New York Time is set to offer a unique experience of words and music, elegiac, witty and profound. Duration 80 mins approx. (without interval) Presented in association with The Gallery Press A previous version of this work was performed by Stephen Rea in 2001 for RTÉ Radio’s Documentary on One

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17 18

PERFORMED BY

Brian Connor

Supported by Bill & Denise Whelan

6PM 4PM

don’t miss ‘Celebrating Derek Mahon’ - see page 31 for details

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €25/€22.50

10 PERFORMANCE

IRISH PREMIERE

Shining Armour by Burnside, Brahms & Tieck

Brahms and the Irish Connection Gerry Murphy

Leading light of Irish theatre Ingrid Craigie plays Clara Schumann in the Irish premiere of an evening of music and drama focusing on the life and loves of Johannes Brahms, one of the 2018 Festival’s featured composers.

In 1861 an unhappy young German woman called Agathe von Siebold arrived in Ireland to take up a position as a teacher. The reason for her heartache? A struggling young composer by the name of Johannes Brahms.

With a new script by pianist and writer Iain Burnside, Shining Armour explores the intense 40-year relationship between Clara and Brahms through a performance of his great song cycle, The Fair Magelone, with lyrics by the German romantic poet Ludwig Tieck. Iain Burnside makes a welcome return to the Festival after his residency for our 2017 Schubert series, and is joined by leading baritone William Dazeley, whose Don Giovanni for Opera North was recently acclaimed.

Drawing on little-seen material from the state archives in Münster, composer and music teacher Gerry Murphy uncovers the story of the passionate love affair between Agathe and Brahms, and reveals what became of Agathe in her Irish exile, as well as giving a vivid picture of the composer and his magnificent music. Duration 60 mins approx.

Duration 75 mins approx.

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15 8PM

THE WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €25/€22.50

as well as being muse to her husband and Brahms, Clara Schumann was a talented composer and one of the most accomplished pianists of her time

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10 3PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

MUSIC

BRAHMS IN THE AFTERNOON

A TEN-DAY SERIES EXPLORING HIS ENCHANTING CHAMBER MUSIC

PIANO WORKS

PIANO TRIOS & QUARTETS

CELLO SONATAS

Finghin Collins

Finghin Collins piano Katherine Hunka violin Cian Ó Dúill viola Christian Elliot cello

Christian Elliot & Finghin Collins

PROGRAMME Rhapsodies Op. 79 Six Pieces Op. 118 Four Pieces Op. 119 In the first of four concerts at this year’s Festival, Finghin Collins – widely acclaimed as the leading Irish pianist of his generation – plays some of Brahms’ finest piano works from his later years. The intense and passionate Rhapsodies are paired with the deeply moving last works for solo piano, the Pieces (Op. 118 and 119) which he composed for Clara Schumann in her twilight years. Duration 60 mins approx.

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10 5PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17

See page 49

PROGRAMME I SATURDAY 11 AUGUST 1PM Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60 PROGRAMME II SUNDAY 12 AUGUST 1PM Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101 Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 26 Finghin Collins joins leading players from our resident orchestra, the ICO, for a brace of lunchtime concerts exploring Brahms’ piano trios and quartets. Though less famous than his orchestral pieces, the trios and quartets are among the composer’s greatest works, equal to any piano concerto in richness, drama and scale. Duration of both concerts 80 mins approx. (without interval)

PROGRAMME Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 28 Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99 For the last of his four concerts at this year’s Festival, Finghin Collins joins forces with the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s principal cellist Christian Elliot to perform Brahms’ cello sonatas – two marvellous and contrasting works that showcase Brahms’ astonishing emotional range. The first sonata explores all the romantic darkness of the cello, while the second, written during an idyllic summer at Lake Thun, is ‘a sunburst of a work’ (Gramophone), warm, passionate and carefree. Duration 60 mins approx.

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13 1PM

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11 12

1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17 FOR EACH CONCERT

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THESE EVENTS See page 49

PHOTO MAURICE GUNNING

piano

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17

12 MUSIC

BRAHMS IN THE AFTERNOON

Timothy Ridout plays a 16th-century viola by Peregrino di Zanetto

PIANO DUOS

ORGAN PRELUDES

VIOLA SONATAS

Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy

Malcolm Proud

Timothy Ridout & Pavel Kolesnikov

Russia/UK

UK/Russia

a poet of the keyboard

something of a musical visionary

The Guardian on Pavel Kolesnikov

The Irish Times

Samson Tsoy sparkled with cutdiamond brilliance

a gorgeous tone, a thoughtful approach to phrasing and an infectious sense of impetuosity Gramophone on Timothy Ridout’s CD

The Arts

PROGRAMME PROGRAMME Variations on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24 Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 Valses, Op. 39 Variations on a Theme of Schumann, Op. 23 For the fifth lunchtime concert, two rising international stars of the piano – who have played together for the last decade – perform some of Brahms’ most bewitching solos and duets for four hands. The popular Valses/Waltzes, a tribute to his adopted city of Vienna, contain some of Brahms’ best-known melodies, while the Variations on a Theme of Handel is a masterpiece that stands shoulder to shoulder with Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Duration 60 mins approx.

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14 1PM

Master organist Malcolm Proud returns to the Festival to perform Brahms’ very last work, the Eleven Choral Preludes. Written in the summer of 1896, only months before his demise, these pieces bring the composer’s astonishing career to a close as he draws on the great Lutheran melodies to express his deepest emotions. Duration 60 mins approx. Please note: the venue for this concert is St Canice's Cathedral.

See page 49

For the second of his three concerts at this year’s Festival, outstanding Russian pianist Pavel Kolesnikov teams up with prizewinning young viola player Timothy Ridout for a mouthwatering programme featuring Brahms’ Viola Sonatas, the composer’s own rearrangements of his Clarinet Sonatas and among his greatest late works. Kolesnikov completes the programme with the Three Intermezzi for Piano, wordless ‘cradle songs’ whose gentle beauty has made them some of the most popular of Brahms’ exquisite late works. Duration 70 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THESE EVENTS

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17

PROGRAMME Viola Sonatas Nos 1 & 2, Op. 120 Three Intermezzi for Piano, Op. 117

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1PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €19/€17

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1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17

MUSIC 13

BRAHMS IN THE AFTERNOON STRING QUARTETS & QUINTETS

there’s no doubt that this string quartet counts among the finest ensembles in the world

France

Süddeutsche Zeitung

Quatuor Voce & Guests PROGRAMME I FRIDAY 17 AUGUST 1PM String Quartet No. 3, Op. 67 Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 Duration 80 mins approx. PROGRAMME II SATURDAY 18 AUGUST 1PM String Quartet No. 1, Op. 51, No. 1 String Quintet No. 2, Op. 111 Duration 75 mins approx. PROGRAMME III SUNDAY 19 AUGUST 1PM String Quartet No. 2, Op. 51, No. 2 String Quintet No. 1, Op. 88 Duration 75 mins approx.

The prizewinning French quartet Quatuor Voce brings our Brahms series to a close with a trio of concerts exploring some of the composer’s greatest works for strings.

QUATUOR VOCE Sarah Dayan violin Cecile Roubin violin Guillaume Becker viola Lydia Shelley cello

Weighed down by expectations, Brahms avoided writing string quartets for many years, but when he finally took the plunge the results were astonishing.

GUESTS Hélène Desaint viola Florent Héau clarinet

Viola player Hélène Desaint joins Quatuor Voce for Brahms’ two late string quintets, the second of which has been described as ‘one of the greatest works written for any group of any kind’ (Isaac Stern), while Florent Héau swells the ranks to perform the Clarinet Quintet, a ‘gorgeous and expansive’ work ‘every bit as fine as Mozart’s’ (Gramophone).

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17 18 19 1PM 1PM 1PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 48

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17 FOR EACH CONCERT

Brahms also features in concerts by Benjamin Appl and Chamber Choir Ireland - see page 18

14 MUSIC

LATER BEETHOVEN

PHOTO JOHN KELLY

with the Irish Chamber Orchestra

MUSIC 15

Programme II

Programme III

Sam Perkin: Waves Beethoven: String Quartet No. 13 in B Flat Major, Op. 130 (orchestral version)

Sam Perkin: Nimbus Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C Sharp minor, Op. 131 (orchestral version)

Jörg Widmann: Con Brio Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major

Katherine Hunka & Christian Elliot directors

Jörg Widmann conductor Carolin Widmann violin

The second programme in our Later Beethoven series presents Beethoven’s sublime String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131 in a rare orchestral performance, and also continues the Festival’s focus on one of Ireland’s most exciting creative talents, Sam Perkin, with his acclaimed work Nimbus, commissioned by the ICO.

For the final concert of their orchestral residency, acclaimed conductor/composer Jörg Widmann leads the Irish Concert Orchestra in a thrilling programme of two of Beethoven’s most popular, and at the same time most revolutionary, works.

PHOTO MARK STEDMAN

Sam Perkin conductor (Waves) Katherine Hunka & Christian Elliot directors (Beethoven) Alex Petcu-Colan percussion

PHOTO LENNARD RÜHLE

Programme I

In this three-concert series, the Irish Chamber Orchestra presents astonishing masterworks from the composer’s later years alongside thrilling 21st-century sounds. The first programme showcases one of Ireland’s most exciting new talents, Sam Perkin. His recent work for orchestra and percussionist, Waves (originally titled 365 Variations on a Gesture), received standing ovations at its premiere and features sensational young Irish percussionist Alex PetcuColan, for whom it was written.

Duration 75 mins approx. (without interval) Sam Perkin’s Waves was inspired by his attempts to cure himself of tinnitus

Completing the programme is a rare orchestral performance of Beethoven’s transcendent String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130.

Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)

10 8PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €25/€22.50

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major was ignored in his lifetime and only later acknowledged as a masterpiece

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THESE EVENTS

Duration 75 mins approx. (without interval)

FRI

The Violin Concerto features his internationally fêted sister Carolin as soloist, while the irresistible energy of the Seventh Symphony is paired with (and indeed directly quoted in) Widmann’s own Con Brio, a modern classic drawing Beethoven into Widmann’s unique sonic landscape.

See page 49

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14 8PM

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €25/€22.50

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7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A €35/€31.50 ZONE B €30/€27

16 MUSIC

a magnificent chameleon of an ensemble The New York Times

MONTEVERDI’S ITALY: THE RISE OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin Germany Georg Kallweit director/leader

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11 8PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A €35/€31.50 ZONE B €30/€27

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

Fresh from their performances in the Festival production of Monteverdi’s great opera The Return of Ulysses, the multi-award-winning Akademie für Alte Musik comes to St Canice’s with a one-off programme, specially designed for Kilkenny, which explores the extraordinary generation of composers that took Italian music out of the renaissance and into a spectacular new age. It’s more than 25 years since the Akademie für Alte Musik last performed in Ireland. Don’t miss this rare chance to experience one of the world’s greatest early music ensembles in the magnificent setting of the cathedral. Duration 1 hr 40 mins approx. (including interval)

PHOTO UWE ARENS

PROGRAMME Works by Bertali, Uccellini, Caccini, Falconieri, Valentini, Mealli, Marini, Legrenzi, Ferrari, Monteverdi & Biber

mesmerising The New York Times

PHOTO SHERVIN LAINEZ

MUSIC 17

SACRED HOURS: RENAISSANCE CHORAL WORKS

BACH: THE COMPLETE VIOLIN SONATAS & PARTITAS

PROGRAMME Works by Monteverdi, Victoria, Venosa, Rihm, Lassus & Browne

PROGRAMME Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Violin BWV 1001-06

Founded in Vienna in 2009, Peregryne draws together singers from all over the world to perform rarely heard church music. For this atmospheric late-night concert in St Canice’s Roman Catholic Church, the ensemble explores the deep sense of yearning woven into the choral music of sixteenth-century Europe.

Brooklyn Rider’s Grammy Award-winning violinist Johnny Gandelsman returns to Kilkenny as a solo artist to take on one of the Everests of music: performing all six of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas in one epic evening.

Peregryne

Featuring works by some of the finest renaissance composers, including Monteverdi, together with a subversive modern piece by German composer Wolfgang Rihm, Sacred Hours celebrates the joy and anguish of faith.

Johnny Gandelsman USA/Russia

Inspired by eclectic collaborators from Yo-Yo Ma to Béla Fleck and Chris Thile, Gandelsman’s recording and live performances of this unique cycle have been met with widespread acclaim in the USA and Europe. This will be a night to remember in the Gothic environs of St Canice’s RC Parish Church. Duration 2 hrs approx. (without interval)

Duration 60 mins approx. (without interval)

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SUN

12 9PM

ST CANICE’S RC CHURCH ADMISSION €18/€16

7.30PM

ST CANICE’S RC CHURCH ADMISSION €25/€22.50

Johnny was inspired as a young musician by the albums of Martin Hayes

18 MUSIC

Benjamin Appl & Pavel Kolesnikov Germany/Russia

one of today’s foremost interpreters of German art songs Operawire

After a thrilling debut in 2017, Benjamin Appl makes an eagerly awaited return to the Festival with a programme that features favourite songs by Schubert, Schumann and Grieg, and embraces the Festival’s Brahms theme with the composer’s last great song cycle, Four Serious Songs.

PROGRAMME Schubert: Selected Songs Schumann: Songs with poems by Heinrich Heine Brahms: Four Serious Songs Op. 121 Edvard Grieg: Six Songs Op. 48

FRI

Duration 1 hr 45 mins (including interval) Supported by Joneen Casey

PHOTO LARS BORGES

Partnered by the exciting young Russian pianist Pavel Kolesnikov (his third collaboration in this year’s Festival), Appl showcases his astonishing blend of tonal beauty and poetic sensitivity. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see two of Europe’s rising stars of voice and keyboard. ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €25/€22.50

8PM

BEFORE BACH AND AFTER

PHOTO JOHN KELLY

Chamber Choir Ireland Paul Hillier conductor PROGRAMME Palestrina: Kyrie & Gloria from Missa Brevis Knüpfer: Motet for 8 Voices, Erforsche mich Isaac: Innsbruck ich muss dich lassen Brahms: Two Motets Op. 29 Isaac/Bach: Nun ruhen alle Wälder Bach: Motet BWV 227, Jesu meine Freude SAT

18 10PM

ST CANICE’S RC CHURCH ADMISSION €25/€22.50

Following its sold-out performance at last year’s Festival, Chamber Choir Ireland returns with another wonderful late-night programme that spans the centuries.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

From sublime Palestrina to one of JS Bach’s greatest choral works, Jesu, meine Freude, and two glorious Brahms motets – a beautiful vocal counterpoint to the Festival’s Brahms in the Afternoon series – this is sure to be another unforgettable experience in the intimate candlelit surrounds of St Canice’s Roman Catholic Church. Duration 60 mins approx. (without interval)

MUSIC 19

Declan O’Rourke Declan O’Rourke has always forged his own path. Whether releasing a track a month for a year, recording an album with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, or exploring dark corners of history in his acclaimed song cycle, Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine, O’Rourke has established himself as a fearless musical explorer. Over the years he’s shared a stage with everyone from Planxty to Snow Patrol, but this solo gig in the Set is a wonderful chance to experience him up close and personal. Duration 90 mins approx. Please note that this event has limited seating, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

FRI

10 10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €25

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

[O’Rourke] writes the sort of classic songs that people don’t write anymore; songs that sound like they’ve been around forever Paul Weller

Ailbhe Reddy & Marc O’Reilly

stands head and shoulders above the folk mainstream The Line of Best Fit on Ailbhe Reddy

Until recently Marc O’Reilly was a well-kept secret, fêted by connoisseurs of blues, rock and folk. But since his single ‘Bleed’ was streamed almost two million times, more and more people have fallen for O’Reilly’s earthy, soulful voice and songwriting craft. Duration 1 hr 45 mins approx. Please note that this event has limited seating, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hot Press on Marc O’Reilly SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

SAT

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €15

9PM

PHOTO ROGER WOOLMAN

This exciting double-header at the Set brings together two of Ireland’s brightest talents. Kilkenny’s Ailbhe Reddy has been tipped for greatness ever since her gorgeous breakout single ‘Distrust’. With her unique voice and original blend of folk and indie, she’s rapidly becoming the voice of a generation.

an incredibly gifted guitar player

20 MUSIC

There is a Light that Never Goes Out

uncategorisable folk fusion ... a game-changing masterpiece Rolling Stone

A Celebration of Willie Meighan WITH

Yorkston/Thorne/Khan The Lost Brothers Malojian

a masterful blend of careful songwriting and tuneful harmonies The Huffingston Post

Willie Meighan, the much-loved proprietor of Rollercoaster Records and a key figure in the city’s live music scene, passed away in November last year. For this special tribute concert the Festival brings together three talented acts, whose careers Willie championed in Kilkenny, for a night of celebration. Yorkston/Thorne/Khan takes three musicians, Scottish singer-songwriter (James Yorkston), English jazz bassist (Jon Thorne) and Indian classical sarangi player (Suhail Yusuf Khan), and blends them into one startlingly original sound that celebrates music’s ability to transcend boundaries.

Three of The Lost Brothers’ recent songs were co-written with Glen Hansard

Lost Brothers Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland have been writing and recording together for more than a decade. Their delicate harmonies and the fragile beauty of their songs have drawn comparisons with Simon and Garfunkel and Bonnie Prince Billy. Over the last few years Malojian (aka Stevie Scullion) has released four acclaimed albums ranging from laidback acoustic to trippy psychedelia, working with a series of musical legends including Steve Albini and Teenage Fanclub’s Gerry Love.

the North’s best songwriter over the last half decade

Duration 2 hrs approx.

Hot Press

PHOTO COLM LAVERTY

Presented in association with Rollercoaster Records and AKA Fringe

WED

7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €25

MUSIC 21

THE SOFA SESSIONS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL

Chris Guilfoyle’s

Superumbra

Chris Guilfoyle is the son of Ireland’s most internationally renowned jazz composer and educator, Ronan Guilfoyle

Dublin guitarist Chris Guilfoyle - one of the break out stars of the burgeoning Irish jazz scene - augments his superb Umbra quintet with three major names from the international scene: trailblazing Berlin vocalist Theo Bleckman, adventurous Zurich trombonist Nils Wogram and much-respected New York saxophonist John O’Gallagher. About the Sofa Sessions Programmed by Kilkenny musician and Irish Times jazz critic Cormac Larkin, these weekly jazz sessions - in the intimate back room of the famous Billy Byrne's bar - have garnered an international reputation over the last five years, with big names in improvised music from around the world falling in love with the informal, listener-friendly venue. This year, the Sofa Sessions comes to Kilkenny Arts Festival with a collaboration between some of the most creative musicians on the Irish and international jazz scenes, presenting both in a series of ‘club’ dates in the original room at Billy Byrne’s, and in a very special one-off concert in the Set featuring the full ensemble. Please note that this event has limited seating, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Theo Bleckmann voice

Nils Wogram trombone

John O’Gallagher saxophone UMBRA

Chris Guilfoyle guitar Sam Comerford saxophones Chris Engel saxophones Barry Donohue bass Matthew Jacobson drums The Sofa Sessions at Billy Byrne’s TUESDAY 14 AUGUST CHRIS GUILFOYLE ORGAN TRIO 6PM JOHN O’GALLAGHER ‘CLUB’ SET 10PM THURSDAY 16 AUGUST GUILFOYLE/ENGEL/JACOBSON 6PM NILS WOGRAM ‘CLUB’ SET 10PM FRIDAY 17 AUGUST OXYGEN THIEF 6PM THEO BLECKMANN ‘CLUB’ SET 10PM Please note that these events have limited seating, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

WED

15 10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €25

Theo Bleckmann’s critically acclaimed 2011 album Hello Earth featured the music of Kate Bush

TUE

THU

FRI

14 16 17

6PM & 6PM & 6PM & 10PM 10PM 10PM

BILLY BYRNE'S 6PM FREE (TICKETED) 10PM €20

22 MUSIC

THE MARBLE CITY SESSIONS A UNIQUE SERIES OF COLLABORATIONS CO-CURATED BY MARTIN HAYES

Martin Hayes Quartet USA/Ireland

a masterclass in interpretation … yet another thoughtprovoking escapade to relish from Hayes

THU

Liz Knowles USA

TUE

14 10PM

ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION €19/€17

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

See page 49

The Irish Times

7.30PM

Duration 90 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

PHOTO MAURICE GUNNING

Not content with the runaway success of The Gloaming, in recent years Martin Hayes has formed another new group dedicated to pushing the boundaries of traditional music. The Martin Hayes Quartet adds Doug Wieselman’s bass clarinet and Liz Knowles’ viola d’amore to the legendary partnership of Hayes’ fiddle and Dennis Cahill’s guitar to create radical new takes on familiar tunes. Since its debut at the 2016 Festival the quartet has released a stunning album, The Blue Room, and now it returns to St Canice’s for another thrilling blend of tradition and innovation.

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €30/€27

every time Knowles laid into one of her foot-stomping reels, she set [the] auditorium ablaze Providence Journal-Bulletin Arts

Trained in classical violin but steeped in Irish traditional music, Liz Knowles is the perfect Marble City Sessions artist. As comfortable playing classical violin in Carnegie Hall as Irish fiddle in Riverdance, Knowles’ distinctive sound mixes the fire and finesse of Irish fiddle music with the tonal richness of classical violin. In advance of her appearance with the Martin Hayes Quartet (see above), Knowles comes to Rothe House for this atmospheric late-night concert, performing both traditional tunes and her own compositions. Duration 60 mins approx.

Knowles is a member of all-female supergroup the String Sisters

MUSIC: MARBLE CITY SESSIONS 23

[a] master of her instrument … the music is sure to take possession of you

PHOTO IGOR STUDIO

Songlines

Maya Youssef Syria ‘You’re a girl. Just forget about it. This is an instrument played by men.’ That’s what a nine-year-old Maya Youssef was told when she first discovered the qanun. Decades later, Youssef is one of the few female virtuosos of the 78-string, zither-like instrument. But it was only after war broke out in her native Syria that she began to compose. The result was Syrian Dreams, an album whose mix of traditional Syrian music with jazz and flamenco has been met with rave reviews. For this magical concert, Youssef brings her unique sound to the Set, accompanied by cellist Barney Morse-Brown and percussionist Elizabeth Nott.

a breathtaking slice of originality fROOTS

Duration 75 mins approx. Please note: this is a seated event.

THU

16 10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €25

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

the quanun is thought to originate in Mesopotamia, where an ancestral version may have been played in royal courts and religious ceremonies

24 MUSIC: MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Camille O’Sullivan

sexy, wild and dangerous The Telegraph

It was while she was living in Berlin that a young UCD architecture graduate became intrigued by the ‘art songs’ of the great Weimar composers and embarked on a radical change of career. Since then Camille O’Sullivan has made her name as a captivating live performer. Her bold interpretations of classics by the likes of Jacques Brel and Nick Cave wring every drop of drama from a song and, backed by her outstanding band, she’s sure to hold the Set in the palm of her hand. Duration 90 mins approx. Please note: this is a seated event.

FRI

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €25

a talented painter, O’Sullivan has exhibited her work in the Royal Hibernian Academy

See page 49

PHOTO CLAIRE LEADBITTER

10PM

Glen Hansard In the years since his memorable performance as Outspan, belting out classic soul tracks in The Commitments, Glen Hansard has secured his place among the great Irish singer-songwriters, fronting two hugely successful bands (The Frames and The Swell Season), releasing a series of acclaimed solo albums and starring in Once, the film that spawned an Oscar-winning song and a Broadway musical. Whether singing a capella or backed by his band, Hansard’s voice is an instrument to behold and his impassioned performances always go down a storm. Duration 90 mins approx. Please note: this is a standing event.

SAT SET THEATRE ADMISSION €30 9PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

Hansard’s latest album, Between Two Shores, was inspired by his stint as an oarsman on the ‘Camino by Sea’

MUSIC: MARBLE CITY SESSIONS 25

Liam Byrne & Cleek Schrey Ireland/USA

Duration 60 mins approx.

a glittering performance

a musician utterly at one with his instrument

The Guardian on Liam Byrne

The Irish Times on Cleek Schrey

PHOTO PAT MOORE

Anyone who experienced his performances last year – whether in Rothe House or in his series of intimate one-on-one concerts in Talbot’s Tower – knows that Liam Byrne is an extraordinarily versatile musician, equally at home in renaissance dance music or avant-garde premieres. This year, Byrne explores even further, teaming up with master fiddler Cleek Schrey for an exhilarating new project that blends the ancient airs of Byrne’s viola da gamba with the Appalachian Old Time folk of Schrey’s hardanger fiddle. SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

SUN

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €19/€17

11AM

Festival Finale HOSTED BY Martin Hayes FEATURING

Eleven days and nights of Festival magic draw to a close in St Canice’s with a farewell feast of music, poetry, song and dance featuring many of the performers and resident artists who have made this year’s programme so unique. Featuring Martin Hayes, fellow Gloaming members Dennis Cahill and Iarla Ó Lionáird, Quartet stalwarts Doug Wieselman and Liz Knowles, actor Stephen Rea, viola da gamba player Liam Byrne and fiddler Cleek Schrey, master organist Malcolm Proud, composer and cellist Neil Martin, piano man Brian Connor and sean nós dancer Stephanie Keane, the Finale captures the spirit of the Festival in one unmissable event. SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 49

SUN

7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €35

PHOTO PAT MOORE

Liam Byrne Dennis Cahill Brian Connor Kate Ellis Stephanie Keane Liz Knowles Neil Martin Iarla Ó Lionáird Malcolm Proud Stephen Rea Cleek Schrey Doug Wieselman

SPOKEN WORD

subtle and wide-ranging The New Statesman on Evan Davis’ Post-Truth

THE HUBERT BUTLER ANNUAL LECTURE

Post-Truth Evan Davis UK Introduced by Olivia O'Leary

The BBC presenter makes his only Irish appearance of the year to deliver the 2018 Hubert Butler Annual Lecture, the Festival’s flagship spoken-word event. In Post-Truth, Davis investigates the future of journalism, elections and democracy in the era of fake news. Evan Davis is the main presenter of BBC2’s Newsnight and Dragon’s Den. Previously he was a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 and spent seven years as Economics Editor at the BBC. His acclaimed book Post-Truth: Peak Bullshit – and What We Can Do About It, is a bestseller. Duration 75 mins approx.

The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture was established by the Festival in 2007 to honour the Kilkenny writer, historian and broadcaster whose remarkable consistency of vision and clarity of mind made him unique among 20th-century essayists

SUN

5.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16/€14

PHOTO OLAF KOSINSKY

SPOKEN WORD 27

SUN

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

11AM

Homer Today: Greek Culture Through the Ages Lydia Koniordou Culture Minister of Greece In tandem with the Homeric focus of our opera this year – The Return of Ulysses, Monteverdi’s stunning dramatisation of the Odyssey (pages 6-7) – the Festival welcomes a very special guest. Greek Culture Minister, actor and theatre director Lydia Koniordou visits Kilkenny to discuss how the ancient culture of her country, from Homer’s epic poems through classical tragedy, comedy, philosophy and history, has not only fertilised world civilisation through three millennia, but still shapes Greece in today’s turbulent times. Duration 60 mins approx.

The Festival is delighted to partner with Asylum Productions and the Abbey Theatre to celebrate one of Kilkenny’s, and Ireland’s, finest writers, Thomas Kilroy. In 2019 Asylum, in association with the Festival and the Abbey, will stage a site-specific adaptation of Kilroy’s Booker-nominated novel, The Big Chapel, and this year we mark the project with three special events.

Thomas Kilroy in conversation with Olivia O’Leary Born in Callan, Thomas Kilroy is one of Ireland’s greatest living playwrights, whose celebrated body of work explores nationalism, identity politics and the lives of great artists. For this fascinating talk, Kilroy joins Olivia O’Leary to consider the ways in which his Kilkenny childhood influenced his writing.

One County One Book In collaboration with Kilkenny County Library Service, ‘One County One Book’ hosts a year-long celebration of The Big Chapel, encouraging everyone in the county to read the novel. To launch the campaign, the first in a series of monthly podcasts will be recorded live at Fennelly’s of Callan, featuring Thomas Kilroy and Stephen Rea.

Duration 60 mins approx. Duration 60 mins approx. MON

13 11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

PHOTO JOE O’SHAUGHNESSY

THE BIG CHAPEL PROJECT

WED

15 7PM

FENNELLY’S BAR, CALLAN FREE (TICKETED)

Callan Youth Chorus Led by Medb Lambert and Donal Gallagher, Asylum Productions have formed a new youth chorus in Callan which will play an integral part in The Big Chapel adaptation. Over the summer months renowned composers Linda and Irene Buckley, choreographer Cindy Cummings, chorus leader Muireann Ryan and costume designer Lisa Zagone will work with the chorus, who will present a sneak preview of their performance at one of this year’s Secret Garden events. See page 34.

28 SPOKEN WORD

TWO IRISH TITANS Wellington & O’Connell: The Men Behind the Myths

The Liberators: Wellington’s Daniel O’Connell to Irish Army Martin Luther King David Murphy &

Eoghan Harris

Patrick Geoghegan & Fintan O’Toole

Marcus de la Poer Beresford

Daniel O’Connell and the Duke of Wellington were men of very different temperaments. But taken together the Roman Catholic O’Connell and the Protestant Wellington represent two major aspects of the Irish psyche and provide rich pickings for the dramatist as well as the historian.

Daniel O’Connell is often called the ‘father of Irish democracy’, but his outlook was resolutely international. He supported the abolition of slavery in America and of serfdom in Russia, defended the rights of Jews and pioneered a form of non-violent mass protest that spread all over the world.

Eoghan Harris – one of Ireland’s most thought-provoking commentators – takes a close look at the contradictions and complexities behind two of the nineteenth century’s most iconic Irishmen.

Patrick Geoghegan, author of an acclaimed two-volume biography of Daniel O’Connell, and columnist and critic Fintan O’Toole consider O’Connell’s legacy and the leaders he inspired, from Gandhi to Martin Luther King.

Napoleon complained that he lost the Battle of Waterloo because of ‘the obstinate bravery of the British troops’. What he didn’t know was that a third of them were Irish. David Murphy, military historian and author of The Irish Brigades 1685-2006, joins Marcus de la Poer Beresford (whose ancestor, Marshal Beresford, was Wellington’s righthand man), to trace the hidden story of Wellington’s Irish generals and troops from the Peninsular War to Waterloo. Duration 60 mins approx.

Duration 60 mins approx.

Irish soldiers accounted for some 40% of Wellington’s troops in the Peninsular War of 1807-14

Duration 60 mins approx. in his campaign for Catholic Emancipation, O’Connell found an unlikely late ally in Wellington, who as prime minister forced it through parliament

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THESE EVENTS See page 49

SAT

11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

THU

16 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

FRI

17 11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

SPOKEN WORD 29

A TURBULENT WORLD THREE TALKS ON IRELAND’S INTERNATIONAL PROSPECTS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Negotiating the Future Bertie Ahern in conversation with David Davin-Power

In the coming months Ireland faces existential decisions on our future relationships with Northern Ireland, Britain and the European Union. Drawing on his unique experience in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement and the EU Constitutional Treaty, Bertie Ahern (Taoiseach of Ireland from 1997 to 2008) analyses the players, risks and opportunities in conversation with David Davin-Power, one of Ireland’s leading political journalists. MON

ST CANICE'S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16/€14

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THESE EVENTS

Duration 60 mins approx.

See page 49

5.30PM

Diplomacy in the Age of Trump Brexit: What Next? Anne Anderson

Denis Staunton

The doyenne of Irish diplomacy and former ambassador to the US, UN and EU has spent the last decade interacting with American politics at the very highest level. In the age of Trump, is diplomacy out of date? How can Ireland influence the new forces that are radically reshaping US politics and the world order?

As the Brexit negotiations move into a final showdown that could lead to a deal, a meltdown or even a reversal, few are better informed than Denis Staunton, London Editor of The Irish Times, who gives an insider view of the competing factions and possible scenarios ahead.

Duration 60 mins approx.

WED

15 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

SAT

18 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

30 SPOKEN WORD

KILKENNY SECRET HISTORIES

A Kilkenny Big House Childhood Caroline & Jane Blunden

Revolutionary Kilkenny Castle Blunden, a few miles outside Kilkenny city, is the epitome of the Irish ‘big house’, a grand eighteenth-century mansion in the neo-classical style. It was there, like generations before them, that twin sisters Caroline and Jane Blunden enjoyed an idyllic childhood. From dance classes with the Smithwicks to pushing Cousin Shadow’s wheelchair round the gardens at Lyrath, the sisters reveal what it was really like to grow up in a quintessential AngloIrish household.

Eoin Swithin Walsh Veteran IRA leader Ernie O’Malley described Kilkenny as 'slack' during the War of Independence, but in fact the county was at the forefront of the struggle for Irish freedom. Historian Eoin Swithin Walsh, whose book Kilkenny in Times of Revolution, 1900-1923 is published this summer, draws on his original research to tell fascinating stories of key personalities and events, from the Gaelic Revival and the king’s visit in 1903 through the years of revolution and civil war. Duration 60 mins approx.

Duration 60 mins approx.

TUE

11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

WED

15 11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

SPOKEN WORD 31

FREESPACE Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara

PHOTO ANDREA AVEZZU/ COURTESY LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

‘All hail the new queens of Venice’ wrote The Guardian, on hearing that Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara had been appointed as curators of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, which opened earlier this summer to rave global reviews. As directors of Dublin-based firm Grafton Architects, Farrell and McNamara have been responsible for some of the most acclaimed public buildings in the world, including the Università Luigi Bocconi in Milan, for which they won the World Building of the Year Award in 2008. With the Biennale drawing huge crowds, Farrell and McNamara come to Kilkenny to give an illustrated lecture on FREESPACE – their vision of generous design, which animates the event – and the challenges of curating the world’s leading festival of architecture. Duration 60 mins approx.

TUE

6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

Celebrating Derek Mahon Amid his Festival performances of Derek Mahon’s New York Time (see page 9), Stephen Rea joins Peter Fallon of The Gallery Press and Maureen Kennelly, director of Poetry Ireland, to explore the qualities that have made Mahon one of Ireland’s, and the world’s, most admired living poets. Duration 60 mins approx. Presented in association with The Gallery Press & Poetry Ireland

SAT

11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

32 SPOKEN WORD

one of the finest and boldest poets of the last half century

Eavan Boland POET IN RESIDENCE Introduced by Maureen Kennelly

Elaine Feinstein

‘I began to write in an Ireland where the word “woman” and the word “poet” seemed to be in some sort of magnetic opposition to each other,’ Eavan Boland once noted. That this has changed is thanks in no small part to her. Over a career spanning more than 50 years and a dozen collections, from 23 Poems (1962) to A Woman Without a Country (2014), Boland has blazed a trail for other poets to follow, subverting traditional ideas of womanhood and offering fresh perspectives on Irish history and myth. Long based in the US, where she is Director of the Creative Writing Programme at Stanford University, Boland comes to Kilkenny to read from her work and reflect on a lifetime’s engagement with the power of words. Duration 60 mins approx.

FRI

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

4PM

Poetry Workshop

Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet

A long-standing champion of emerging voices, Eavan Boland leads this workshop for poets. Participation is by application. Email info@poetryireland.ie for further details.

Join us at the Parade Tower to celebrate the publication of Kilkenny Arts Office’s Poetry Broadsheet, launched this year by Eavan Boland. The Broadsheet gives local writers a platform for their work; the guest editor this year is the distinguished poet Peter Sirr, whose most recent collection Sway was published by The Gallery Press in 2016.

Please note: places are strictly limited.

THU

16 11AM

THU

ATTENDANCE BY APPLICATION

16 3PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION FREE (TICKETED)

OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE

WORLD PREMIERE/FESTIVAL COMMISSION LOOSYSMOKES

The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand

jaw-dropping and beautiful The Irish Examiner on Raven Eyed

After the deliciously sinister Raven Eyed last year, Loosysmokes returns to Kilkenny with this fresh and funny show for all ages in the Castle Park. The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand is performed in and around a gigantic, otherworldly lighthouse where the lightkeepers are striving to maintain order, cleaning lenses, winding clocks and lighting lamps. But when disaster strikes, will lunacy prevail? Featuring surreal acrobatics, madcap comedy and breathtaking stunts, The Lightkeeper’s Last Stand is a stunning new show from one of Ireland’s leading modern circus companies.

The Arts Review on Raven Eyed

CASTLE PARK, FREE (UNTICKETED)

Duration 40 mins approx. Presented in partnership with the Office of Public Works SAT SUN

11 12

TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

14 15 16 17 18 19

2PM 2PM 2PM & 4.30PM & 4.30PM

far stranger, far more demented, and far more exhilarating than anything you could possibly imagine

2PM 2PM 2PM 2PM & 4.30PM & 4.30PM & 4.30PM & 4.30PM

12PM

34 OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE

PHOTO ROSS COSTIGAN

Secret Garden Music Now in its fifth year, Secret Garden Music is one of the Festival’s most popular series. Every day throughout the Festival a range of artists offer pop-up performances in some of Kilkenny’s loveliest gardens. Drop by each afternoon to find out who’s playing, and enjoy informal creative experiences with great artists.

SAT TUE THU

11 14 16 4PM 4PM 4PM

GAZEBO BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

Duration 15 mins approx. Performances are subject to weather conditions.

SUN TUE SAT

12 14 18

CASTLE ROSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

4PM 3PM 4PM

MON WED SUN

13 15 19 4PM 4PM 4PM

ROTHE HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE 35

Festival Fun on High Street MON THU SUN

13 16 19 3PM 3PM 3PM

STONE CIRCLE BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

On opening and closing weekends, get ready for the Festival to burst out onto High Street outside the Tholsel, Kilkenny’s iconic town hall in the heart of the medieval city. Keep an eye on our social media and local signage for details, featuring some of the Festival’s star artists alongside street performers and acrobats, dancing flash mobs, face painting and general mayhem for all ages!

WED FRI

15 17

3PM 4PM

HERITAGE COUNCIL GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

SAT SUN FRI SAT

11 12 17 18

THOLSEL, HIGH STREET ADMISSION FREE (UNTICKETED)

36 VISUAL ART

Still from In the Body of the Sturgeon, 2017 Image courtesy of the artists who are represented by Fredericks & Freiser Gallery, New York, Pilar Corrias, London, Susanne Vielmetter, Los Angeles Projects.

VISUAL ART, DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

BUTLER GALLERY

I Smelled A Raw Recruit: The World War Films of Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley The Butler Gallery presents a multimedia exhibition by New York-based artists Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley. I Smelled A Raw Recruit: The World War Films of Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley brings together the artists’ most recent film, In the Body of the Sturgeon, which follows a doomed submarine crew on its final journey in the Pacific, and three earlier films set on the Western Front of World War I. The reverberations of these global conflicts are energetically canvassed in the artists’ distinctive combination of animation, painting, performance, and distinctive wordplay-filled poetic scripts. Painted sculptural objects from the sets will accompany the videos, along with two lightbox portraits of characters from Sturgeon, which reveal the detailed painted surfaces of both performer and set. In a submarine, hospital, and a military brothel, Mary and Pat stage dilemmas of mortality, sex, and delusion, navigated by their characters in punning dialogue that traps them between tragic and comic meanings. Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley’s work is held in many public collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Hammer Museum Los Angeles; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven; and The Zabludowicz Collection, London. Mary Reid Kelley has been awarded many significant awards including the MacArthur Fellowship and the Baloise Art Prize (2016) and the Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship (2014). The artists have exhibited extensively internationally and in 2017 presented We Are Ghosts, their first museum solo exhibition in the UK at Tate Liverpool, which travelled to the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2018.

BUTLER OPENING

3PM-5PM

BUTLER GALLERY, THE CASTLE, KILKENNY WWW.BUTLERGALLERY.COM 10AM – 5.30PM DAILY UNTIL 7 OCTOBER

BUTLER

Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley will be in conversation with Dr Dara Waldron, Lecturer in Critical and Contextual Studies at Limerick School of Art and Design, and Butler Gallery Director Anna O’Sullivan. The discussion will focus on the artists’ approach to filmmaking in the context of satire and the absurd, and will seek to contextualise their practice in relation to recent political developments in the US. The discussion will also focus on the poetics of filmmaking practices.

GALLERY

SAT +353 56GALLERY 776 1106 BUTLER

PARABLES OF A HIDDEN HISTORY Mary Reid Kelley & Patrick Kelley in Conversation

GALLERY

SAT

18 3PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION FREE (UNTICKETED)

38 DESIGN

IMAGES FROM DAVID O’REILLY, FIELD, DANIEL ROZIN, THREADSTORIES, ONFORMATIVE

.OBJ: Digital Handmade Digital technology has transformed the ways by which we think about design and craft. In today’s digital world makers have access to a wider variety of tools, materials and processes than ever before. Coding, digital fabrication and data have become integral to the ways objects are designed, manufactured, distributed and consumed, influencing our relationships with them and how they inhabit our world. .OBJ: Digital Handmade exhibition at the National Design & Craft Gallery showcases the works of Irish and international makers whose practices are situated at the intersection of the digital and analogue. These makers draw on emerging digital tools and processes to experiment with material practices that are rooted in craft and design traditions, building objects that question and shape our world. These hybrid practices allow us to rethink the role of technology within the historical trajectory of object-making, re-evaluating how we value craft and define the ‘handmade’. Join us for a roundtable event and exhibition launch from 1pm, Saturday 11 August, by Kieran Long, Director of Swedish Centre for Architecture, with crafted cocktails from Pembroke Kilkenny.

OPENING SAT

2PM-4PM

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, CASTLE YARD MON-SAT 10AM-5.30PM, SUN 11AM-5.30PM ADMISSION FREE

CURATED BY Nora O Murchú

EXHIBITORS Faig Ahmed (AZ) Common Works (GB) Digital Nature Group (JP) FIELD (DE/GB) Ying Gao (CH/CA) Sebastian Kite (DE) Onformative (DE) David O’Reilly (IRL/US) Daniel Rozin (US) threadstories (IRL) Owen Quinlan (IRL) Marius Watz (NO) Zeitguised (DE) Zimoun (CH)

DESIGN 39

Talks + Workshops at National Design & Craft Gallery FRI 10 AUG, 1PM Kinetics and Motion: Crafting human-machine interactions Lunchtime discussion with Sebastian Kite. FRI 10 AUG, 2PM – 5PM Mechanisms + Making (16+) €25* Create motorised module pieces with installation artist Sebastian Kite. SAT 11 AUG, 1PM .OBJ: Digital Handmade Roundtable Join exhibition curator Nora O Murchú, exhibiting makers and special guests to discuss the evolution of new forms of craft and expanded awareness of how we can utilize materials. SAT 11 AUG, 2PM – 4PM .OBJ: Digital Handmade Launch Exhibition launch by Kieran Long, Director of Swedish Centre for Architecture, with Crafted Cocktails from Pembroke Kilkenny. SUN 12 AUG, 2PM .OBJ: Digital Handmade Curator’s Tour with Nora O Murchú.

MON 13, 6PM - 9PM Threadstories Explore sculpture and form using textiles with artist threadstories (16+).* TUES 14 - THUR 16 AUG, 2PM, 3PM & 4PM Free Children’s Craft Workshops One workshop per child/day (6-12yrs).*

Moving Structures 3D structures with Paul Bokslag.

Clay Creatures with Maeve Sookram of Sevensisters.

POM POM Silhouettes with Sandra Mc Allister.

FRI 17 AUG, 11.15am – 1pm Free Teen Craft Workshop (13-18yrs) Silkscreen print bandana summer scarfs with Blackstack Studio. * Booking required - for more info & to book workshops visit http://ndcg.eventbrite.com

40 ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE 41

KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL & UCD SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Kilkenny Visions With the development of the new Abbey Quarter on the former brewery site around St Francis’ Abbey, Kilkenny has a hugely exciting opportunity to reimagine its medieval heart as a creative urban hub for the 21st century. Over the past year, the Festival has partnered with UCD’s School of Architecture to investigate blue-skies possibilities for future cultural and performance spaces for the city that also respond to its unique medieval character. Eight young architects, just completing their studies at UCD, bring fresh perspectives to this challenge under the guidance of their professors Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey, frequent participants in the Festival. Drawing on intensive research and site visits, these young Irish creatives have produced fascinatingly diverse visions, from repurposing ancient buildings to bold new indoor and outdoor structures, brought to life in this exhibition with evocative artwork, plans and architectural models. The exhibition is presented in the stunning renaissance surrounds of Rothe House, a stone’s throw from the Abbey Quarter itself.

OPENING SAT

12PM

ROTHE HOUSE SAT 11 - SUNDAY 19 AUGUST, 10.30AM-5PM ADMISSION FREE

Image: Ferdia Kenny, Concept Collage

CREATIVE VISIONS FOR KILKENNY In tandem with the Kilkenny Visions exhibition, the participating architects present their plans for new Kilkenny performance spaces and discuss the possibilities with acclaimed architects Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore and debate a constellation of visions for Kilkenny’s cultural needs and creative future.

SAT

6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION FREE (TICKETED)

Uncover the drama of the Irish landscape, the narratives of our national monuments and the traditions of your own place during National Heritage Week 2018. Get involved and share a story.

1850 200 878

www.heritageweek.ie

European Heritage Days Journées européennes du patrimoine

National Tourism Development Authority

Ireland’s only intact Tudor Merchant Townhouses and Gardens

Guided Tours | Museum | Renaissance Gardens | Events | Weddings Parliament Street, Kilkenny tel 056 772 2893

www.rothehouse.com

ROTHE HOUSE

&GARDEN

GREAT PLACES TO STAY GREAT PLACES TO EAT Special Festival menus available at select restaurants

Hotel Kilkenny

Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

Kilkenny Pembroke Hotel

Langton House Hotel

056 776 2000

056 775 0200

056 780 2117

056 776 5133

hotelkilkenny.ie 10

kilkennyormonde.com 11

Anocht Restaurant

Aroi 056 770 3644

Langton’s Restaurant

Marble City Bar 056 7761143

Butler Tea Rooms

Cakeface Patisserie

056 772 2828

056 773 9971 21

Paris Texas 056 7761822

Statham’s Restaurant

Victor’s at The Club House

056 772 1122

056 778 3500

056 772 1994

GOODS – 4 Floors of Fashion 88/90 High Street

Folkster 27 Patrick Street

Petronella

Restaurant & Café 056 776 1899

The Springhill Court Hotel

langtons.ie 13

056 776 5133

GREAT PLACES TO SHOP

pembrokekilkenny.com 12

056 772 2118

GREAT PLACES TO DRINK 37

Bridie’s 056 776 5133

Kilkenny Design Centre

The Little Green Grocer

Castle Yard

6 Parliament Street

45 5

Lyrath Estate Hotel 056 776 0088

Newpark Hotel

The Kilkenny Inn

Butler Court

Butler House

056 776 0500

056 777 2828

056 776 1178

056 772 2828

flynnhotels.com

butlercourt.com

kilkennyinn.com

butler.ie

lyrath.com 14

Billy Byrne’s

Campagne

Foodworks

056 777 2858

056 777 7696

Harpers

056 772 1783

056 777 1888

13 25

Matt the Miller’s Bar & Restaurant

Ristorante Rinuccini

Royal Spice Indian Restaurant

Zuni Restaurant

056 776 1696

056 776 1575

056 778 6010

056 772 3999

Cleere’s Bar

Hibernian Bar

Kyteler’s Inn

Langton’s

056 776 2573

056 777 1888

056 772 1064

056 776 5133

Matt the Miller’s Bar & Restaurant 056 776 1696

Lamber de Bie

Rossiter’s

Dubray Books

Paris Texas

Statham’s Bar

Ormonde Street

The Butterslip

Market Cross Shopping Centre

056 776 1822

056 778 3500 See map on p.51.

Become a Festival Friend! Help make Kilkenny Arts Festival one of Europe’s finest artistic celebrations. As an individual or business, you’ll find a range of Friend options and benefits available, from complimentary tickets and discounts to Festival Club membership and special events. Friends membership starts at just €95 (€50 for under-35s). For more information you can call the Festival Office on 056 776 3663, email friends@kilkennyarts.ie or sign up at kilkennyarts.ie/support-us

PATRON

AIB Anonymous Donor Claire Callanan Ecopower Total Windfarm Solutions John Fingleton & Neil Crump Lyndon MacCann SC Market Cross Shopping Centre Reidy & Foley Solicitors Silvia & Jay Krehbiel

BEST FRIEND Ayrfield Medical Practice Eithne Healy James Harte & Son Kieran Boland, Boland Solicitors Mary Finan Maurice O’Donnell McCullough Mulvin Architects McDonalds Kilkenny Michael & Zureena Hutchinson Mr & Mrs John Grogan O’Donnell + Tuomey Pat Nolan Irish Origins Research Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan Solicitors R. John McBratney

We also acknowledge those Friends who have chosen to remain anonymous.

SPECIAL FRIEND

FRIEND

Allens Bernard Dunleavy Bluett & O’Donoghue Architects Bride Rosney Caulfield’s Supervalu Loughboy Kilkenny Christine & Noel Fahey Dermot & Sue Scott Desmond & Barbara Duff Dore’s Nostalgia Café - Michael Dore Dorothy Morrissey Dr Thomas O’Toole Dr. Mary Canning Elizabeth Murphy Ella Dunphy of DNG Ella Dunphy Ltd. Gillian Leo Happy Times, Market Cross SC Holland Condon Solicitors Ina & Joe Sweeney James & Cordelia Gelly James Pike Jim Ryan John & Michele Keogan Kieran O’Gorman Hair & Beauty Day Spa Kilkenny Castle Tea Rooms - Michael Dore Kilkenny Modern Printers La Rivista Liz Nugent Mahony’s Pharmacy Maire & Maurice Foley Mary & Brian MacEneaney Maura Thornhill Michael Reilly Consulting Engineer Moth to a Flame Candles Murphy Stuart Insurances Newpark Pharmacy O’Brien’s Butchers Market Cross & Loughboy Ormonde Street Car Park Patricia Connolly Patricia Tomasulo Paul & Maeve Magnier Petria McDonnell Philip Crowe & Patrick P Higgins Prochem Engineering Property Partners Buggy PWC Rudolf Heltzel Gold & Silversmith Sherry Fitzgerald McCreery Terry McCabe The Zip Yard Timothy King Violet Twomey

Áine Ní Fhoghlú Alain Ficat Ann Murtagh Ann O’Neill Audrey Conlon Blaa Blaa Blaa Coffee & Sandwiches Bluebird Care Bob Allies Brian Deering Butterslip CANICE Architects Catherine Burke Crotty’s Coffee House Darina Gibson Desmond A Byrne Jeweller Dolores MacKenna Kavanagh Dr Nicholas Grene Edward King Elizabeth Keighary Brislane Florence Ryan-Downes Gaby Smyth Gemma Hussey Helen Costelloe’s The Cutting Vedge James Delaney James Walsh Motor Parts Ltd John & Mary McEntagart John Dalton John Knox NT Jones Business Systems Joseph Brennan Joseph Dundon & Mary Hawkes Judith Woodworth Katherine Meenan Lady Lorna Boutique Liam Costigan Goldsmith & Silversmith Lynda Byrne Manning Travel Michael Lunt Mocha Vintage Tea Room Restaurant Mr & Mrs St.George Neville Keery Orange Café Pennefeather Café R A Somerville Sarah Phelan & Andy Ryan Séamus Crimmins Shaun Wrafter Shiela Foley Siobhán Maher Stephanie Brennan The Gift Horse The Gourmet Store The Nore Bar The Wardrobe Ultan O’Gorman

BENEFITS

FRIEND

€95 (€50 for under 35s & students)

SPECIAL FRIEND

BEST PATRON FRIEND €1,000

€250 €500

Invitation to official Festival launch & opening party

✓

Acknowledgement on Festival website & in brochure

✓

Festival Club membership

✓

Special events for Friends during the year

✓

Dedicated Friends’ newsletter

✓

Complimentary tickets *

Ticket discount **

10%

15%

No booking fees

✓

Ticket deals on selected events Complimentary Music Notes programme

✓

Priority booking

Dedicated booking service Access to allocation of seats for sold-out shows *** Exclusive invitation to preview dinner with Festival Director & selected artists Acknowledgement on Funders board at Festival venues Exclusive backstage access to meet visiting artists

✓

TERMS & CONDITIONS * From list of Festival highlight events ** Ticket discounts do not apply to special offers, workshops, children’s shows or tickets purchased directly at events *** Subject to availability

✓

Under 25s €10 ticket!

Special Ticket Deals

This year we’re introducing special €10 tickets for all events for Under 25s. A limited number of €10 tickets will be available for each event on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure your €10 ticket, log in to your Festival account or create a new account, add your date of birth, and the special €10 price will automatically be applied to your ticket order. Please note that ID may be checked at the door. If all €10 tickets for an event have already been sold, the discount will not apply.

Brahms in the Afternoon

Shakespeare & Ulysses

Buy tickets for five or more of the Brahms in the Afternoon series of concerts and save 10% – save up to €29 if you attend the full series.

See our new theatre and opera productions, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Return of Ulysses, and get 10% off. Save up to €7.

Shakespeare Family Ticket

Monteverdi Double

2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children to attend any one performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for €85. Save up to €19 (Offer excludes the preview on 9 August).

See our new production of Monteverdi’s opera The Return of Ulysses on 9, 10 or 12 August and the gala concert Monteverdi’s Italy. Get 10% off and save up to €8.

Friday Brahms & Beethoven

Later Beethoven

Catch a great classical double bill on Friday 10 August: Finghin Collins’ Brahms at 5pm and the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s Beethoven and Perkin at 8pm. Get 10% off. Save up to €6.

Book two or more of the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s Beethoven series and get 10% off. Save up to €12 if you attend all three concerts.

Opening Weekend in the Set

Two Irish Titans

10% off a pair of great gigs: Declan O’Rourke (10 August) and a double bill of Ailbhe Reddy and Marc O’Reilly (11 August) – save up to €6.

10% off three talks on a pair of Irishmen who bestrode the 19th century: Daniel O’Connell and the Duke of Wellington – save up to €6.

A Turbulent World

Marble City Sessions

Marble City Trio

Saturday Night Double

10% off a three-talk series on seismic political shifts in Britain, Europe and America – save up to €7.

10% off any three Marble City Sessions (including the Festival Finale) – save up to €12.

15% off seven unforgettable concerts (including the Festival Finale) – save up to €34.

See two great concerts on 18 August, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony with the ICO at 7.30pm and Chamber Choir Ireland at 10pm. Get 10% off and save up to €6.

HERITAGE COUNCIL GARDEN

VICA R ST

7 18

To Newpark Hotel

The Kilkenny Inn

REET

Kernel Bar & Kitchen

LFE

St Canice’s Cathedral TO

Cleere’s Bar & Theatre

E LIAM PAR

WATERGATE THEATRE

MIC

T NT S

BILLY BYRNE’S BAR

St John’s Priory

Rossiters

IAM

GOODS

RY RIA

F Lamber de Bie

39 TR

DE S

ON ORM

W LO

20 42

Langton’s Restaurant

Bridie’s

Langton’s

76 JOHN ST

Kilkenny Castle

Aroi

TH BUTLER Ristorante 23 E PAR Kilkenny GALLERY AD Design Centre Rinuccini E PARADE TOWER Pembroke Hotel 17 Folkster 36 Statham’s Restaurant 37 10 Anocht Restaurant Harpers Zuni 25 3 27 43

Hibernian Bar

Victors at The Club House

To The Springhill Court Hotel

ET RE ST

W NE

To Hotel Kilkenny

KILKENNY CASTLE ROSE GARDEN

Paris Texas

CALLAN

K ST

BOX OFFICE

BRI

ET Langton House Hotel

SET THEATRE

IC PATR

Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

EET

’S HN

LIN

FÁILTE IRELAND TOURIST OFFICE

EET

R ST

INN

THOLSEL

L WIL

EET

Petronella Restaurant & Café

Matt the Miller’s

STR

TREET

LAN

R’S

HN SS

N’

HIGH

KIE

MILL S 1 inch = 400 feet approx.

LLI

CARLTON BALLROOM

AN LL

Great Places to Stay Great Places to Eat Great Places to Shop Great Places to Drink

2cm = 100m approx.

Dubray Books

Kilkenny City Map

See page 44 for details

To Lyrath Estate Hotel

BLACK

JAM

Marble EET City Bar STR

JO Kyteler’s Inn

Foodworks

The Little Green Grocer

ROTHE HOUSE GARDEN

NEW

Rothe House

A NE G LA ILDIN

TRAIN STATION

E BB

DEA

MacDONAGH JUNCTION

Cakeface patisserie

13 WN

Royal Spice

EET

TR NS

N CA

TU PP

’S

ICE

ST CANICE'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

IRI

Campagne

HN S

A PL

Butler House Tea Rooms

Butler Court BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN

12 9

FESTIVAL TEAM

Butler House

CASTLE YARD

KILKENNY CASTLE PARK

Castle Yard

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY

PATRON

Festival Director Eugene Downes

Head of Marketing Cormac Larkin

Programme Editor Alistair Daniel

Graphic Design Íde Deloughry

Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland

Festival Producer Olga Barry

Box Office Manager Céline Reilly

Strategic Consultant Annette Nugent

Web Design Pixel Design

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Festival Administrator Valerie Ryan

Development Officer Grace Kearney

Publicity O’Doherty Communications

Official IT Provider BITS

Production Manager Aidan Wallace

Artist Liaison Cornelia McCarthy

Emer Foley (Chair), Brian Fennelly, Lorelei Harris, Maureen Kennelly, Conor Langton, Anna O’Sullivan, Michael O’Toole, Thomas O’Toole, Isabell Smyth, Bill Whelan

Kilkenny Arts Festival 2018 Schedule

Thursday 9 St Canice’s Cathedral

Castle Yard St John’s Priory

Friday 10

Saturday 11

Sunday 12

Monday 13

ICO: Later Beethoven I 8pm, p.15

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin 8pm, p.16

Hubert Butler Lecture: Evan Davis 5.30pm, p.26

Bertie Ahern & David Davin-Power 5.30pm, p.29

A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Preview) 8pm, p.4 8pm, p.4 Brahms: Piano Works 5pm, p.11

A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream 8pm, p.4 8pm, p.4 Brahms: Piano Trios & Quartets I 1pm, p.11

Set Theatre

Declan O’Rourke 10pm, p.19

Ailbhe Reddy / Marc O’Reilly 9pm, p.19

Parade Tower

Brahms and the Irish Connection 3pm, p.10

Eoghan Harris on Wellington & O’Connell 11am, p.28

Creative Visions for Kilkenny 6pm, p.41

Watergate Theatre

The Return of Ulysses 7pm, p.6

Brahms: Piano Trios & Quartets II 1pm, p.11

Brahms: Cello Sonatas 1pm, p.11

Homer Today: Greek Culture Through the Ages 11am, p.27

Thomas Kilroy & Olivia O’Leary 11am, p.27

The Return of Ulysses 3pm, p.6

Rothe House

Kilkenny Visions Opening 12pm, p.41

Kilkenny Visions 10.30am-5pm, p.41

Castle Park

The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand 2pm & 4.30pm, p.33 2pm & 4.30pm, p.33

Butler Gallery

I Smelled A Raw Recruit Opening 3pm, p.37

I Smelled A Raw Recruit 10am-5.30pm, p.37

National Design & Craft Gallery

Kinetics and Motion 1pm, p.39

..OBJ: Digital Handmade Roundtable 1pm, p.39

.OBJ: Digital Handmade 11am-5.30pm, p.38

.OBJ: Digital Handmade 10am-5.30pm, p.38

.OBJ: Digital Handmade Curator’s Tour 2pm, p.39

Threadstories 6pm - 9pm, p.39

Sacred Hours: Renaissance Choral Works St Canice’s RC Church 9pm, p.17

Gandelsman: Complete Bach for Solo Violin St Canice’s RC Church 7.30pm, p.17

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 4pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Circle, Butler House Garden 3pm, p.34

Tholsel, High Street p.35

Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.34

Mechanisms + Making 2pm – 5pm, p.39

OBJ: Digital Handmade Opening 2pm, p.38

Other Venues

Street & Gardens

Secret Garden Music Gazebo, Butler House Garden 4pm, p.34 Tholsel, High Street p.35

THEATRE, OPERA & DANCE

PERFORMANCE

MUSIC

MUSIC: MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

SPOKEN WORD

OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE

VISUAL ART, DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

Tuesday 14

Wednesday 15

Thursday 16

Friday 17

Saturday 18

Sunday 19

Brahms: Organ Preludes 1pm, p.12

MCS: Martin Hayes Quartet 7.30pm, p.22

Appl / Kolesnikov 8pm, p.18

ICO: Later Beethoven III 7.30pm, p.15

MCS: Festival Finale 7.30pm, p.25

Yorkston/Thorne/Khan, Lost Brothers, Malojian 7.30pm, p.20

A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream 8pm, p.4 8pm, p.4 8pm, p.4 8pm, p.4 8pm, p.4 Brahms: Piano Duos 1pm, p.12

Brahms: Viola Sonatas 1pm, p.12

Brahms: String Quartets & Quintets I 1pm, p.13

Brahms: String Quartets & Quintets II 1pm, p.13

Sofa Sessions 10pm, p.21

MCS: Camille O’Sullivan 10pm, p.24 Wellington’s Irish Army 11am, p.28

MCS: Glen Hansard 9pm, p.24

Eavan Boland 4pm, p.32

Butler Gallery talk 3pm, p.37

A Kilkenny Big House Childhood 11am, p.30 FREESPACE: Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara 6pm, p.31

Revolutionary Kilkenny 11am, p.30

MCS: Maya Youssef 10pm, p.23 Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet 3pm, p.32

Diplomacy in the Age of Trump 6pm, p.29

Liberators: O’Connell to Martin Luther King 6pm, p.28

ICO: Later Beethoven II 8pm, p.15

Shining Armour 8pm, p.10

New York Time 6pm, p.9

New York Time 4pm, p.9

Kilkenny Visions 10.30am-5pm, p.41

MCS Liz Knowles 10pm, p.22

Celebrating Derek Mahon 11am, p.31

Brahms: String Quartets & Quintets III 1pm, p.13

MCS: Liam Byrne & Cleek Schrey 11am, p.25

Denis Staunton on Brexit 6pm, p.29

Kilkenny Visions 10.30am-5pm, p.41

The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand The Lightkeepers’ Last Stand The Lightkeepers’ Last 2pm & 4.30pm, p.33 2pm & 4.30pm, p.33 2pm & 4.30pm, p.33 2pm & 4.30pm, p.33 Stand, 12pm only, p.33 2pm only, p.33 I Smelled A Raw Recruit 10am-5.30pm, p.37

I Smelled A Raw Recruit 10am-5.30pm, p.37

.OBJ: Digital Handmade 10am-5.30pm, p.38

.OBJ: Digital Handmade 11am-5.30pm, p.38

Free Children’s Craft Workshops: Moving Structures Clay Creatures POM POM Silhouettes 2pm, 3pm & 4pm, p.39

Free Teen Craft Workshop 11.15am - 1pm, p.39

Sofa Sessions Billy Byrne’s 6pm & 10pm, p.21

Big Chapel Podcast Fennelly’s, Callan 7pm, p.27

Sofa Sessions Billy Byrne’s 6pm & 10pm, p.21

Inventions Carlton Ballroom 6pm & 10pm, p.8

Inventions Carlton Ballroom 4pm, p.8

Inventions Carlton Ballroom 6pm & 10pm, p.8

Chamber Choir Ireland St Canice’s RC Church 10pm, p.18

Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 4pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 4pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Circle, Butler House Garden, 3pm, p.34

Tholsel, High Street p.35

Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden, 4pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 3pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 3pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Secret Garden Music Gazebo, Butler House Garden Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.34 4pm, p.34

Secret Garden Music Circle, Butler House Garden 3pm, p.34

Tholsel, High Street Secret Garden Music Gazebo, Butler House Garden p.35 4pm, p.34

BACK COVER IMAGE: CHLOE LOH, FESTIVAL IN A FRIARY, FROM KILKENNY VISIONS, P.41