St Patricks Weekend (Friday 14th – Monday 17th March)

A feast of traditional music, song & dance!

Last year saw the first ever Kilkenny Tradfest take over the city for a St Patrick’s Weekend full of craic agus ceol.  This year we are delighted to bring Kilkenny Tradfest back again from the 14th-17th March with live music, Trad Trail, music and dance workshops, family activities and much much more…

Full details  – see Tradfest2014 Brochure

View Pictures of the Gathering Reception 2014 in County Hall

 On the evening of 10 February 2014, the Chairman of Kilkenny County Council Pat Dunphy hosted a special evening in County Hall to acknowledge the contribution made by individuals and communities throughout city and county to ‘The Gathering 2013’. The Year of the Gathering in Kilkenny featured a vibrant and diverse range of more than 70 events throughout city and county, resulting in over 5,000 extra overseas visitors in 2013.

Following an address by President Obama’s cousin, Henry Healy, on the Ireland Reaching Out Initiative, the Chairman presented Certificates of Recognition signed by Uachtarain na hEireann, Michael D Higgins, to groups and organisers from a vast array of Gatherings. A lovely evening was had by all.

Chairman Dunphy said, ‘The engagement of citizens and communities was, without doubt, the single most critical success factor in the success of the Gathering initiative in Kilkenny’…

View just some of the photographs taken at the event by clicking on the image above.

Featuring fascinating stories from events organised as part of The Gathering Ireland 2013 including the Harper Family Gathering in Kilkenny, and a collection of reflections on Ireland from influential individuals such as Colum McCann, Bono, Marian Finucane and the late Seamus Heaney.

The Gathering – Reflections on Ireland, published by and in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation, is available now in a stunning hardback volume. Edited by Miriam Donohoe.

With the year of ‘The Gathering’ drawing to a close, this community festival has developed a reputation for hosting many food gatherings throughout the weekend, where communities of people come together to create, talk about, compare and consume delicious food.

Savour Kilkenny is a festival with a true community heart run by a voluntary committee of Kilkenny people who are passionate about food. Growing it, making it, cooking it, sharing it and eating it. The committee strive to enhance its programme annually and 2013 will have much new, interesting content.

We’re lucky to have an exceptionally vibrant and creative food culture here and Savour Kilkenny is a chance to throw open our doors and invite you (and the rest of the world!) to join our celebration of food.

You can view Savour Kilkenny’s full brochure here

GHOST TOURS:

A night-time, candle-lit tour led by the castle residents through the most haunted areas of the castle and the ancient grave yard. Tours start from October 18th. On Halloween night there will be an extra special tour for Midnight. The ghost tours are not for the faint hearted , or for those under the age of 15. Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Tours cost €22. Book online before October 17th for a 10% discount. 

DINE BACK IN TIME:

 As part of Savour Kilkenny, the ghosts of Shankill Castle invite you to banquet at their murder mystery evening on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th October at 8pm. Enjoy a delicious feast of home grown and local produce, while immersed in the ghastly dramas of Shankill Castle’s history. Tickets cost €70 each and include a 4 course meal, complimentary wine, an exclusive ghost tour and plenty of spooky entertainment. Strictly over 18′s only. Tickets are limited to 20 per evening. 

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES:

 Wand and Quill making is a specialty workshop at Shankill Castle. Visit the largest trees on the estate and farm and learn their names and the magical qualities of each, so that you can choose your wand material. Meet the ‘Minister for wands’ to get your wand licence and learn to make a writing quill from goose feathers. Plenty of fun and learning for all ages. The Children’s Ghost tour is filled with frightening and fun stories of Shankill Castle. A trip around the dungeon and the grave yard is a must see on this ghost tour.

Bookings can be made here

Friday 11th October at 1pm Lunchtime Bite Lecture 

Canon Adrian Empey discussing ‘The origin and role of the medieval cathedral in the ecclesiastical economy.’ €5.00 admission fee applies includes light lunch.

Saturday 12 October 8.00pm 

Reginia Nathan Operatic Arias & Sacred Classics Concert with The Michael John Chamber Orchestra and Guest St Canice’s Senior Orchestra. Regina Nathan , (Soprano) is excited to be bringing her Concert of ‘Operatic Arias and Sacred Classics’ to The Cathedral Church of St Canice in celebration of St Canice’s Patronal/Gathering Weekend. The concert will feature a selection of popular operatic arias such as ‘O mio babbino caro’, ‘Ebben’ , ‘Vissi’ and other arias, Irish folk songs,classic hymns and sacred music. Regina is thrilled to have the St Canice’s Orchestra from St Canice’s N.S Instrumental Music Programme, as her guest on this special night. Admission fee applies.

Sunday 13th October at 3pm 

St Canice’s Cathedral Choir will perform a patronal evensong directed by David Forde with Cathedral Organist Malcolm Proud.

Saturday 20th October at 4pm-Malcolm Proud Organ

Louis Nicolas Clérambault Suite du premier ton
Heinrich Scheidemann Two verses on Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn
Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude and Fugue in E minor (BWV 548)

Malcolm Proud combines an international career as a harpsichordist and
organist with his work as an instrumental teacher and senior lecturer on the BA
Music Degree Course at Waterford Institute of Technology. He is also organist
of St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny. With the ensemble Camerata Kilkenny,
which he co-founded with Swiss violinist Maya Homburger he has performed in
Paris, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia
and at all the major Irish music festivals. Camerata Kilkenny has recorded the
Biber Mystery Sonatas (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik award in 2007)
and Bach’s Musical Offering. His most recent recording is of J.S. Bach’s Partitas
for Maya Recordings. On October 30 he will perform this programme in the
Church of St. Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall in the City of London.
Further information: www.malcolmproud.ie

Tickets for all concerts €15
(€10 concession)

A Jack & Jill Gathering – The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation Charity Cycle to Kilkenny takes place on Saturday 14th September 2013. We invite people the world over to gather and join us for our annual cycle to Kilkenny via the picturesque back roads along the 100km route –  indeed we have some participants from the UK, Norway and Sweden joining us for this special year of The Gathering. This professionally marshalled cycle with 1 guide per 10 cyclists including back up and mechanical support vehicles provides a wonderful opportunity to get a taste of Ireland, experience the hospitality and enjoy the views of the Irish open countryside, with refreshments stops and lunch along the way. The cycle finishes up in the medieval city of Kilkenny for dinner and great craic at the 4 star Newpark Hotel. With overnight accommodation available at a special “Jack & Jill” rate in  Kilkenny and bus transfer for participants and bikes to Wicklow provided the next day, Sunday 15th September – we’ve covered it all!  So come on, dust down that bike…. and why not “take the challenge” to:
achieve a personal goal, enjoy a professionally organised cycle guaranteed to be  “wheelie” great fun,  meet new friends (or bring along a group of existing ones, work colleagues etc.) and at the same time help us to provide home nursing care to Jack & Jill children with brain damage in each community throughout Ireland who will never get an opportunity to get on their bikes!

Register to take part at http://jackandjill.ie/cycle/

With only 24 hoursto go until the opening weekend of the 40th Kilkenny Arts Festival there are some really impressive acts taking place from this Friday August 9th. Take a look here and book your tickets today online or by phone on 056 77 521 75 or in person at the box office on 76 John Street, Kilkenny.

Castlecomer will be celebrating its mining heritage this weekend, with a number of events planned for the town.  The official opening will take place on Friday at 7.30pm with former miner Jim O’Neill and his daughter Mary. Saturday will feature guided tours of the old pit head, with a ceílí mór in the evening, while Sunday will see the unveiling of a plaque in memory of all the men and boys who lost there life in the mines.

You can read the full programme here: 

IDEATE is a multi-disciplinary mini-festival about making. It explores and celebrates craft, design and creativity through experimentation and collaboration and aims to build a
community of practice actively engaged with innovation, technology and design. The festival has been devised and produced by the Crafts Council of Ireland and the National
Craft Gallery to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Kilkenny Design Workshops. It is part of the Gathering Kilkenny 2013 programme, Kilkenny and funded via
the INNOCRAFTS programme as part of INTERREG IV. It is sponsored by Allied Irish Bank and the Pembroke Hotel.
At the centre of IDEATE are two seminars mapping current terrain; Making Things explores how user-focused design and shifts in technology are transforming relationships between object, maker and user in the 21st Century; and Making Worlds explores the active roles that craft, design and creativity are playing in the civic space, looking at planning, sustainability, and inclusive methodologies.
The INNOCRAFTS strand offers information and access to design processes and digital technology through talks, discussions and hands-on practice. It includes a packaging design
workshop with industrial designer, Jordan Ralph; a simple, low-cost route into the world of digital fabrication with The Civic Works; practical workshopsin Solidworks and Haptic
Modelling with designCORE; and Design Intelligence, a trio of talks exploring different models of excellence in practice.
The Exhibitions strand includes Making Things Better at the National Craft Gallery, in which emerging talents Designgoat and Derek Wilson respond to objects from the National
Museum of Ireland to create new prototypes which will be shown at the London Design Festival in September 2013; The Secret of Kells, an exhibition of prints by the Oscar nominated and multi-award winning Kilkenny-based animation studio, Cartoon Saloon; and Pallet to Product, a nationwide design challenge to innovate sustainably.
At the heart of all of this, is Kilkenny city – once home to the Kilkenny Design Workshops, now home of the Crafts Council of Ireland, the National Craft Gallery, Cartoon Saloon, and
the many creative practitioners both from and based here, a selection of whom are participating in Creative City – a series of inspirational talks by significant figures such as
AnnaO’Sullivan, curator of the Irish Pavilion atthe 2013 Venice Biennale; Ross Stewart, the artistic vision behind two Oscar-nominated animated feature films; Mel O’Rourke, Director
of themulti-award winning design agency, Creative Inc; and Naoise Nunn, Artistic Director of the Sky Cat Laughs Comedy Festival and Programme Director of the Kilkenomics festival of
economics, both based in Kilkenny city. There is also a Creative City film night featuring more incredible Kilkenny talent, including David O’Reilly, recently awarded the World
Culture Council Leonardo da Vinci Award for his services to animation.

The packed two-day programme also includes a variety of drop-in creative activities, films on  design and craft, live music, street food, craft beer and an exciting live-art Draw-Off between the Cartoon Saloon team versus Kilkenny-born craft-punk artist Mick Minogue. Make sure to like our the IDEATE festival facebook page to keep up-to-date on the programme and events – https://www.facebook.com/ideatefestival
For further info –
e: ideate@ccoi.ie
http://www.ideatefestival.com