Killaloe and Ballina, Co. Clare | Wednesday May 27 – Monday June 1, 2026
Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens, acclaimed rapper and poet Denise Chaila, sean-nós singer Sibéal Nà Chasaide and some of Europe’s finest chamber musicians will converge on the twin towns of Killaloe and Ballina this June Bank Holiday weekend for the 2026 Killaloe Music Festival.
Running from Wednesday May 27 to Monday June 1, the festival has established itself as one of the region’s standout cultural events, transforming St Flannan’s Cathedral and venues throughout both towns into intimate performance spaces for a programme spanning classical music, folk traditions, spoken word, immersive late-night concerts and family events.
A centrepiece of the weekend will be an intimate candlelit performance by Rhiannon Giddens and long-time collaborator Francesco Turrisi in St Flannan’s Cathedral on Saturday night. Sunday’s late-night concert will bring together Denise Chaila and Sibéal Nà Chasaide in a unique collaboration with festival musicians, weaving together spoken word, Irish traditional song and contemporary performance.
The classical programme is equally ambitious. Friday evening’s Sounds from the American Century moves from Copland and Dvořák to Bernstein’s music from West Side Story. Saturday’s Revolutions spans nearly a thousand years, from Hildegard von Bingen to Shostakovich, Wagner and Brahms. Sunday evening’s La Belle Époque evokes the atmosphere of Paris through Debussy, Satie, Stravinsky and the songs of Piaf.
The festival’s signature candlelit late-night concerts in the nave of St Flannan’s Cathedral will this year include an immersive presentation of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, incorporating electronics, projections and surround-sound elements that make full and devastating use of the cathedral’s extraordinary acoustics.
Accessibility and community participation remain central to the festival’s ethos. Monday afternoon’s family event, Choose Your Own Adventure, led by Jean McGlynn at the Lakeside Hotel, invites children and families into an interactive musical experience in which the audience helps shape the story and soundtrack in real time. Further events across the weekend include free coffee concerts, performances by emerging young ensembles, schools events, choral performances and informal sessions throughout the town.
Artistic Director Diane Daly said the festival continues to build on its vision of presenting “world-class musicians in intimate spaces”, offering audiences the chance to experience internationally renowned artists at close quarters in one of Ireland’s most distinctive festival settings.
Full programme and ticket information are available at killaloemusicfestival.com.