The annual Ballybunion Arts Festival will be taking place this month – from July 21 to 24 – in the North Kerry seaside town, featuring a plethora of musical artists along with art, theatre, comedy, poetry and workshops.

Artistic director and organiser Katie O’Brien says the main goal of the festival is to celebrate all genres of art while focusing on elements of traditional Irish culture.

“We were especially interested in hosting artists creating work that engages nature and ecology with ancient and traditional Irish culture,” Katie says. “The Ballybunion Arts Festival brings all disciplines together through events that allow us to soak up the art but also nourish and inspire creativity in artists in the iconic backdrop of this coastal town.”

 

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The festival features homegrown talent, with Limerick-based artist Blindboy leading as the headline performance. In effort to incorporate the Irish language into events, local acts were chosen to teach visitors about the wonders of the language through rap, theatrical performance and poetry.

“Ireland has a population of Irish speakers and so we wanted to advocate on behalf of and showcase artists working with the Irish language, with bilingual events with rap poet Súil Amháin, poet Máire Holmes, RTE’s Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh, IMLÉ, Róisín Seoighe and Manchán Magan,” Katie says.

In addition to the musical performances and talks, visitors can enjoy additional activities at the festival including beach yoga, swimming, open mics and a guided wildflower walk.

The Ballybunion Arts Festival will be taking place from the 21st to the 24th of July. Check out the full programme for more information on ballybunionartsfestival.ie