There’s a host of free events on across Carlow and Kilkenny this evening for Culture Night.
Attractions like Kilkenny Castle, James Stephens Barracks, Visual and Carlow County Museum are opening up to the public and laying on various entertainment.
There’s also loads of music, art, poetry and other cultural activities for locals to go, see and participate in.
The fun starts across the country at 4pm – full programme – with staggered starts across the evening.
In Carlow
The county’s first offerings from 4pm come in the form of Botanical Painting with Breda Malone at community garden An Gairdín Beo, the Irish Wheelchair Association in Carlow town have workshops in art and pottery, creative writing, readings and more at Teach Fáilte while Made in Carlow invites you into their Tullow Street premises for painting, sculpture, craft, music and poetry. Added to that Joan Coen’s an Open Studio on the Kilkenny Road gets underway as well.
From 4:30pm, Trudi Doyle opens her art studio in Crecrin, Ballyconnell, Tullow while in Bagenalstown Library you’ll find a performance of historical drama The Winter Dress.
Carlow County Museum hosts special exhibition “On My Honour I Will Try…” on Scouting in Carlow, 90 years growing – you’ll find that at the O’Hanrahan Gallery from 5pm.
Creative Processes Carlow has Dry Needle Felting Taster events at their premises in Kilcoole, Rathoe from 5:30pm.
There’s an introduction to filmmaking with ULAB studio from 6pm at Therry Hall, Carlow College. Visual Carlow will unveil its Autumn / Winter season of events. While at the same time, Carlow College of Music showcases some of the county’s youngest talents at Carlow Library.
Family painting workshops can be enjoyed from 7pm at Visual Carlow.
Carlow Storytellers roll out their talents from 7:30pm at Carlow Library.
St Mary’s Church of Ireland has Expressions of Carlow Arts and Culture: Piano Recital from 8pm.
From 8:30pm at Visual Carlow you’re invited to join Áine Donohoe on Button Accordion, Lisa De Buitléir on Fiddle, Megan Mcdonald on Concertina and Jack Gladney on Guitar. At the same time, a small ensemble of vocalists, instrumentalists, friends and former associates of Aspiro come together to perform as ‘enCÓRe’ at Tully’s Bar on Tullow Street.
Then late-night entertainment’s in the form of an evening of improvised, ambient music by The Spinning Boy featuring drummer Bryan O’Connell at TBA Pop Up, 59 Dublin Street. That’s from 10pm.
In Kilkenny
4pm starts in Kilkenny include workshops for young people at Tada! Theatre School at the Thomastown Community Centre, you can catch the Famine Experience at MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre while the Knitted Together exhibition trail takes you on a tour of a number of city venues with associated workshops on The Parade from 4:30pm.
Also from 4:30pm, the Design Crafts Council of Ireland’s Thomastown premises hosts Jail Birds – an evening of jewellery and metalwork.
You can stop by to explore Rothe House and Gardens from 5pm, Essie May’s Yoga Studio on Kieran Street offers up Botanical Mandalas and KCAT in Callan has theatrical entertainment and eco-art explorations.
MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre hosts Resilience from 6pm examining the complexity and strength of the human condition in the face of adversity – and how it prevails. At the same time, Kilkenny Castle‘s period rooms can be enjoyed and Block Party at Butler Gallery features live DJs in the gardens, late night entry to Kevin Atherton: The Return and Showcase by youth collective Youth, Ecology, Art. While there’s an evening of music, heritage and art in Ionad Lachtain, Freshford.
Butler House and Garden invites you in from 6:30pm to Design and Paint a Tile Workshop. While Kilkenny Castle has live medieval and Renaissance music in the Picture Gallery.
James Stephens Army Barracks starts a visit of its walled village from 7pm. You’ll also find Youth Film and Animation, a screening of young peoples’ short films from across the country at the Young Irish Film Makers’ Waterford Road studios. And Poetry by the Barrow gets underway at Mick Doyle’s Pub in Graignamanagh.
Clogh Writers will be hosting festivities at Moneenroe Community Hall from 7:30pm with a theme of coal mining & local culture. In Freshford, St Lachtain’s Church features Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Craobh Osrai presenting a one-hour entertainment show of Irish music, song, dance and storytelling, featuring Ceoltóirí Kilkenny and guests.
