Cashel Arts Festival is a four-day festival set in the town of Cashel in County Tipperary, famous for the ancient and iconic Rock of Cashel. The significant heritage sites in the town form a dramatic backdrop to a fine selection of contemporary arts events every autumn.
Take your pick from music, dance, visual arts, film, theatre, workshops, family events and literature events. Involving and encouraging visitors and the local community to participate in a wide variety of arts is key to the festival. Whether you want to sit back and be entertained or get ‘stuck in’ and learn something new, this festival will have something for you.
Placing great importance on inclusivity ensures that many events are free and some have special offers or concessions. The festival has strong links to the community it serves and plays an integral part in connecting community groups in the locality. It also welcomes visitors to Cashel, giving them an opportunity to extend their stay by offering exciting arts events in this wonderfully historic town.
Supporting professional artists in developing their work and giving them a platform to perform is also a vital role of the festival, with most artists involved in the festival usually based in Ireland. Strong links with artists built-up over the 19 years the festival has been running ensures that high-quality events are the hallmark of the festival.
Buíochas le/Thank you and Acknowledgements
Melanie Scott (Tipperary Arts Officer), Fiona Flavin (Assistant Arts Officer) and all at Tipperary Arts Office, Tipperary County Council, Anselm McGowan (District Administrator), Cllr Fiona Bonfield (Cathaoirleach Tipperary County Council), Cllr. Marie Murphy (Cathaoirleach Tipperary Cahir Cashel Municipal District), Cllr Micheál Anglim (Leas Cathaoirleach Tipperary County Council and Leas Cathaoirleach Tipperary Cahir Cashel Municipal District), Damien Ginty (Director of Services), Cllr. Declan Burgess, Cllr. Liam Browne, Cllr. John Crosse, Cllr. Anne Marie Ryan (Shiner), Cllr. Andy Moloney, Cllr. John O’Heney, Cllr. Máirín McGrath, Cllr. Mary Hanna Hourigan, Cllr. Roger Kennedy.
Cashel Arts Festival Committee/Board of Directors 2026
Chairperson: John Murray
Secretary: Emily Kirwan
Petronelle Clifton Brown, Eddie Dalton, Anne Devitt, Eleanor Dwyer, Séamus J. King, Diarmuid O’Leary
Cashel Arts Festival Organising Team 2026
Patrons: The Very Reverend James Mulhall, Dean of Cashel and The Very Reverend Fr. Enda Brady, PP
Chairperson: Gillian Clifton Brown
Secretary: Claire Fox
Treasurer: Geraldine Gleeson
Assistant Treasurer: Emily Kirwan
Health and Safety Officer: Deirdre O’Leary
Assistant Health and Safety Officer: Geraldine Stockil
PRO: Emily Kirwan
Assistant PRO: Anne Marie O’ Donnell
Festival Organising Team: Petronelle Clifton Brown, Anne Marie O’Donnell, Anne Devitt, Eleanor Dwyer, Josephine McCan, Yuliya Shilnikova, Helena Ryan
Website: Emily Kirwan, Paul Higgins of Nicecube Design
Social Media: Emily Kirwan
Festival Design & Brochure Compilation: Lisa Manton
Festival Photographer: Dermot O’Halloran and Viktoria Uskova
Sound & Lighting: Pat Marnane
Brochure Cover Illustration: Andrew Dorland
Brochure Design & Printing: Lion Print Cashel