Kilkenny Tradfest

KILKENNY CITY’S CLASS TRADFEST IS BACK

Kilkenny City is again due to be hopping and lepping to the sounds of the best traditional music on St. Patrick’s weekend thanks to Kilkenny Tradfest.

The festival returns from March 12 – 17 for its 8th edition. Headliners this year include 70s trad rock ground-breakers Horslips; Andy Irvine and Paul Brady on the anniversary tour of their seminal self-titled album from the same era; Donal Lunny as part of ZoDoMo; and Iarla Ó Lionáird and Steve Cooney performing at the event’s closing night gig in The Set Theatre.

Over the years, Kilkenny Tradfest has developed into one of Ireland’s leading festivals. Its commitment to attracting the highest-quality acts to the stages of the city’s venues has ensured that the crowds keep coming.

On top of this, the festival is popular with musicians, offering many masterclasses and the chance for attendees to improve their musical skills. Learn more about playing the accordion with Máirtín O’ Connor, the fiddle with Zoe Conway or Declan Folan, the bouzouki with Donal Lunny, the bodhrán with local legend Tommy Lanigan and the pipes with former long-time local resident Leonard Barry.

Speaking about this year’s Kilkenny Tradfest, festival director Marian Flannery said in a statement: “In terms of the live gigs, we are thrilled with the calibre of acts. We are particularly delighted to have Horslips coming to Kilkenny for the first time since their heyday when they rocked out venues like the Carlton and the Mayfair ballrooms.”

“The band changed the face of traditional music, introducing it to young people. They laid the ground for the likes of Moving Hearts, Stockton’s Wing and modern groups like Kila - who also appear live and free in Paris Texas as part of the Bulmers Trad Trail. Horslips appearance in Langton’s Ballroom on March 16 will be nostalgic and full of energy.” To see the full line-up for Kilkenny Tradfest and for more information, visit www.kilkennytradfest.com.

Established in 2000 Zaytoon now have another two Restaurants in Ranelagh and Swords alongside our Flagship Stores on Parliament St. and Camden St.

Offering even more casual diners the experience of eating what is often referred to as the best Kebabs in Ireland and also offering new additions to our menu.

Opening Hours

Monday-Thursday, Sunday 12PM - 4.30AM Friday - Saturday 12PM - 5AM

Here at Zaytoon we pride ourselves on sourcing and providing the highest quality products. All our meat and poultry are Irish and fully traceable.

By day Zaytoon is full of tourists and business people, by night it’s packed to the gills with midnight revellers jostling to get one of our famous kebabs!

TEMPLE BAR 14/15 Parliament Street Temple Bar, Dublin 2

+353 (0)1 677 3595

RANELAGH 64 Ranelagh Dublin 6

+353 (0)1 567 4266

CAMDEN STREET 44 - 45 Lwr Camden Street, Dublin 2

+353 (0)1 400 5006

SWORDS PAVILIONS Malahide Road, Swords Pavilions, Swords, Co. Dublin

+353 (0)1 515 5039

FRANCO-IRISH LITERARY FESTIVAL SET TO BE A PAGE TURNER

Now a signifi cant date in Dublin’s literary calendar, the Franco-Irish Literary Festival is preparing for its 21st edition – set to take place between Friday, April 3 and Sunday, April 5.

Since its inception, the Franco-Irish Literary Festival’s aim has been to widen and enhance the long-standing friendship that exists between Ireland, France and other French-speaking countries around the globe. It welcomes writers in both the English and Irish languages, together with writers of the wider francophone world.

Each year the festival presents a central theme and 15 to 20 writers, professionals and artists of the English, Irish or French language are given the opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas in an informal setting. Panel discussions, interviews, readings and signings take place over the event’s three days.

This year’s theme ‘Making a Better World’ refl ects on literature that echoes the growing concerns of the human race: the environment in which we live, climate emergency, the decline of animal species and our Earth in transformation. Invited Irish and French-speaking writers will discuss these crucial questions, and in the context of this growing awareness, their exchanges are sure to provide food for thought both at a collective and individual level.

The prominent guests of the 2020 edition of the Franco-Irish Literary Festival include documentarist