Kids Yoga with Mairéad (5-10 yrs)
2026-09-12 11:00 - 11:45 (Europe/Dublin) | Halla na Féile, 6 Canopy St, Ladys Well, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 WC59, Ireland
Please note: This session is parent-accompanied – parents/guardians are required to sit in with their child.
Meet Mairéad, a passionate Primary School and Kids Yoga Teacher dedicated to nurturing young minds and growing strong, happy hearts. With a warm, playful approach and a deep understanding of child development, Mairéad blends the joy of learning with the calming benefits of yoga. Whether in the classroom or on the mat, she creates a safe, inclusive space where children can explore, express, and thrive, building confidence, focus, and emotional resilience every step of the way.
“I am so excited to share my practice with kids at the Cashel Arts Festival,” says Mairéad.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect through movement, mindfulness, and fun!”
No experience or material required!

Sensory Art Workshop by Art Room 109 (Ages 1-5)
2026-09-12 11:00 - 11:45, 2026-09-12 12:15 - 13:00 | Yellow Marquee / Cashel Cathedral, Agar Lane, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Please note: Ages 1–5. Stay & Play – Parents/Guardians are required to stay. Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
Play and Create is a relaxed, interactive art workshop designed especially for toddlers on the move (ages 1–5) and their grown-ups.
Each session is thoughtfully crafted to encourage creativity, connection, and messy sensory fun. With up to six open-ended art and sensory stations to explore, little ones are free to play, make, and move at their own pace, while grown-ups join in or simply enjoy watching the process unfold!
Expect a welcoming space with lots of paint, colour and playful fun.

Marie Gleeson - Author Talk
2026-09-12 11:00 - 12:00 | Cashel Library, Friar St, St. Francis Abbey, Cashel, Tipperary
Join us for an inspiring talk with former Irish Navy Captain Marie Gleeson, as she shares her remarkable story of leadership, resilience and navigating life’s most challenging waters.
‘The one thing you can’t fully control in a ship is the water all around you, so part of your plan is always reading and analysing the currents and the tides. You have a clear image in your head of how you think the ship will perform in the prevailing conditions. But this time something isn’t going the way we had planned it …’
As a farmer’s daughter in the country’s largest landlocked county, Marie Gleeson’s unusual career choice took her into uncharted waters. Working her way up from gruelling bootcamp training to leading a drug interdiction operation seizing €700 million of cocaine from a yacht off the Kerry coast, she was a leader among men and rose to every challenge. Developing a love of the sea, Marie learned that to be at one with it required agility, and a willingness to change, to go with the wind – not against it. These lessons prepared her for operating without a life raft when her personal life threw her the greatest challenge of all.
Be Like the Sea is the inspiring story of what happens when we overcome our own self-imposed physical, mental and emotional limitations, and a blueprint for charting our own unique path in life.
Marie Gleeson is a former captain in the Irish Navy. She is celebrated for her ability to translate her military experiences into valuable lessons for business and the real world.

Poetry Writing Workshop with Jenny Cox
2026-09-12 11:00 - 13:00 | Teach Ceoil, Brú Ború, Rock Lane, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 YE89, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
Uncover your creative voice with this engaging poetry writing workshop designed for writers/poets of all experience levels. Using unique prompts and writing techniques, taking inspiration from the historic town of Cashel, we will write together in a fun, supportive environment. The perfect opportunity to spark your imagination and get writing! Jenny Cox is a writer, poet and facilitator based in Tipperary. She has two published poetry collections and is the inaugural Poet in Residence for the South Tipperary Arts Centre where she runs the Word Sparks writing sessions.

St. Patrick’s Brass Band
2026-09-12 12:00 - 12:30 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
St. Patrick’s Brass Band has been in existence for an impressive 160 years and is always a welcome source of entertainment. Come listen as they play some all time favourites.

Street Entertainment
2026-09-12 12:00 - 16:00 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
On Saturday afternoon, Cashel’s plaza will host a vibrant programme of music and dance, featuring a range of local performers. The event showcases a variety of talent, offering an enjoyable opportunity to experience the creativity of the local community.
Entertainment line up:
12pm-4pm: Face Painting on the Plaza with Shells Facepainting
Michelle from Shells Facepainting brings colour, creativity, and sparkle to every event with fun, professional facepainting for children and adults alike. From butterflies and superheroes to magical designs, there’s something for everyone.
12:00pm-12:30pm: St. Patrick’s Brass Band
St. Patrick’s Brass Band has been in existence for an impressive 160 years and is always a welcome source of entertainment. Come listen as they play some all time favourites.
12:45pm – 1:15pm: Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann-Craobh Caiseal Mumhan
The Cashel Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann will entertain us with traditional Irish music.
1:30pm-2:15pm: Burgess School of Irish Dance
Join us for a chance to see members of the Burgess School of Irish Dance in action as they display their impressive talent and skill.
2.15pm – 3.15pm: Calvos Contact Jugglers
Calvos are the UK’s top performers of ‘contact juggling’ – the manipulation of glass balls that glide, float, dance and levitate surreally around the artists’ hands, arms and bodies. An elegant and unique walkabout act, Calvos combines distinctive fantastical costuming with superlative contact juggling to create an unforgettable real-life experience of magical suspended time and alternative physical laws. Delightfully mesmeric and utterly astounding.

Face Painting on the Plaza with Shells Facepainting
2026-09-12 12:00 - 16:00 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Michelle from Shells Facepainting⁠ brings colour, creativity, and sparkle to every event with fun, professional facepainting for children and adults alike. From butterflies and superheroes to magical designs, there’s something for everyone.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann-Craobh Caiseal Mumhan
2026-09-12 12:45 - 13:15 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
The Cashel Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann will entertain us with traditional Irish music.

Burgess School of Irish Dance
2026-09-12 13:30 - 14:15 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Join us for a chance to see members of the Burgess School of Irish Dance in action as they display their impressive talent and skill.

Songwriting Workshop with Padraig Jack
2026-09-12 14:00 - 15:00 | Teach Ceoil, Brú Ború, Rock Lane, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 YE89, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
In this workshop, Padraig Jack will offer insight into his songwriting process, guiding participants through how ideas are developed into songs through lyric, melody and storytelling. A bilingual Irish/English singer-songwriter rooted in Irish culture, language and tradition, Pádraig is an RTÉ Folk Music Awards nominee and was named by Hot Press as one of Ireland’s best emerging songwriters. His song Making Sand reached No. 1 on the RTÉ Radio 1 Airplay Chart, establishing him as one of Ireland’s most compelling contemporary songwriters. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from his creative approach and experience.

Mountmellick Embroidery Workshop with Dolores Dempsey
2026-09-12 14:00 - 17:00 | Halla na Féile, 6 Canopy St, Ladys Well, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 WC59, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
Immerse yourself in the timeless craft of Mountmellick Embroidery in this engaging, hands-on workshop. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced embroiderer looking to refine your technique, this workshop offers something for every skill level.
Mountmellick Embroidery is a white on white work that is entirely Irish in origin and design, dating from the early 19th century. It consists of bold designs of local flora and fauna worked on white satin jean fabric using white cotton thread.
Facilitated by Dolores Dempsey, a Master Craftsperson from Mountmellick, Co. Laois with 40 years’ experience teaching, designing and creating unique pieces of Mountmellick Embroidery.
All materials are provided for this workshop and each participant will take home their own handmade piece.

Calvos Contact Jugglers
2026-09-12 14:15 - 15:15 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Calvos are the UK’s top performers of ‘contact juggling’ – the manipulation of glass balls that glide, float, dance and levitate surreally around the artists’ hands, arms and bodies.
An elegant and unique walkabout act, Calvos combines distinctive fantastical costuming with superlative contact juggling to create an unforgettable real-life experience of magical suspended time and alternative physical laws.
Delightfully mesmeric and utterly astounding.

Tales of the Viking and the Gael - An afternoon of storytelling with Niall de Búrca
2026-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Yellow Marquee / Cashel Cathedral, Agar Lane, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking essential as places are limited. Age 16+
Niall has performed in such wonderful places as The Áras in Dublin and Kronberg Castle where Shakespeare set Hamlet. He’s even performed aboard the Sea Stallion, a replica of a 1000 year old viking ship that was built in Ireland.
To quote the Vienna Review of Books: “His ability to evoke a wide range of emotions from his rapt audiences enables him to bewitch people with his stories and make listening to him as well as watching him an unforgettable experience”
An opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of storytelling as an adult, because adults need stories too!

The Bolton Lecture: Celebrating Cashel’s Rich Cultural Legacy
2026-09-12 18:45 - 20:00 | St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Friar Street, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 R250, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking is essential as places are limited.
Cashel Arts Festival is delighted to welcome Caoilfhionn Gallgher KC to give this year’s Bolton Lecture. on Saturday, September 12th.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC is one of the world’s leading human rights lawyers. Over the past 25 years she has acted in many landmark cases in the UK, Europe and internationally, including representing bereaved families of the Hillsborough Disaster and the 7/7 London Bombings, and in test cases which have changed laws on children’s rights, for survivors of abuse, and on access to abortion in Northern Ireland.
Internationally, Caoilfhionn’s work for wrongfully imprisoned people has seen her take on governments around the world, and she has secured the freedom of over 85 wrongly imprisoned journalists, bloggers, cartoonists, businesspeople, and activists (and one rapper). She is the world’s leading expert on accountability for deaths of journalists and regularly acts for bereaved families of journalists killed for their work. Caoilfhionn was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2017 for her “outstanding contribution to the protection of human rights,” for devising a mass advertising campaign to highlight positive stories about the Human Rights Act. In 2023 she was awarded the President of Ireland’s Distinguished Service Award and in 2025 she was Irish Tatler’s International Woman of the Year.
Buy Tickets / €15

Kore Pilates with Joan
2026-09-13 09:00 - 10:00 | O’Brien’s Cashel Lodge, St. Patricks Rock,, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 PY79, Ireland
Join Joan for a revitalizing Pilates session in the lovely setting of O’Briens Lodge as part of this year’s Cashel Arts Festival.
Joan is a qualified Registered Nurse and Pilates instructor – mat and reformer pilates. She has been practising Pilates for over 15 years and has completed other training in bone health and pregnancy for pilates.
Joan is looking forward to offering you a class that focuses on balance, strength, flexibility and mind-body connection.
NB: Please bring along a mat and water.

Windsock Art Workshop (Ages 5-7 yrs)
2026-09-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Scout Hall, Lower Green, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Please note: Ages 5–7 yrs. Stay & Play – Parents/Guardians are required to stay. Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
Join Lisa Manton of Colour & Co Art Studio for this super fun windsock workshop! Kids will paint, decorate, and add flowing paper streamers to create their own windsock, ready to twist and dance in the breeze. Whether it’s a blossoming tree, a burst of pattern, or whatever catches their imagination, each child takes home a colourful creation that’s completely their own.

Greek settlers in Afghanistan in the wake of Alexander the Great - with Shane Wallace
2026-09-13 11:00 - 12:00 | O’Briens Lodge, St. Patricks Rock, Cashel, Tipperary, E25 PY79, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
When Alexander the Great marched east, he changed the ancient world forever. His campaigns carried him from Greece to the borders of India, leaving behind cities, settlers, and a legacy that would endure for centuries after his death.
This fascinating talk explores the remarkable kingdoms that emerged in the wake of Alexander’s conquests across modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India. Discover how Greek and local cultures blended to create vibrant and diverse societies, and uncover the archaeological discoveries, inscriptions, and monuments that continue to reveal their stories today.
Join historian Shane Wallace as he traces the rise and fall of these forgotten kingdoms and examines what they can tell us about identity, migration, and cultural exchange in the ancient world.
About the speaker
Shane Wallace is the Walsh Family Assistant Professor in Classics and Ancient History at Trinity College Dublin. His research focuses on the age of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic world, with particular interest in the cultural and political history of the Greek kingdoms that emerged across Central and South Asia.

Colourful Suncatcher Workshop (Ages 11-12 yrs)
2026-09-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Scout Hall, Lower Green, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Please note: Ages 11–12 yrs. Pre-booking essential as places are limited.
Let’s catch some light! Join Lisa Manton from Colour & Co Art Studio as kids use special transparent coloured paper to design and piece together their own wooden-framed suncatcher, creating a stained-glass effect that glows when hung in a window. Whether it’s your favourite flower, an abstract pattern, or something dreamed up on the day, each child takes home a one-of-a-kind piece ready to hang, complete with hook.

Little Top Stars: Bubble Display
2026-09-13 12:15 - 13:00 | Oliver Plunkett Park, Oliver Plunkett Park, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Little Top Star’s interactive bubble displays bring movement, colour, and wonder to the day. Using custom-made strings and nets, they create everything from giant interactive bubbles to floating clouds of hundreds of tiny shimmering bubbles. Watch as vibrant bubble clusters drift through the air, captivating audiences of all ages.
Perfect for admiring, chasing, and popping, these iridescent creations transform the space into a playful, dreamlike experience.

Dr O’Hurley Pipe Band
2026-09-13 13:00 - 13:30 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Founded in 1935, the Dr. O’Hurley Pipe Band performs at several cultural and social events throughout Tipperary and surrounding areas. They are always a popular addition to our festival.

Little Top Stars: Bubble Walkabout
2026-09-13 14:00 - 14:45, 2026-09-13 15:30 - 16:15 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Little Top Stars bring Bubble Walkabout to life with their specially designed accessory belts, carrying everything they need to create bubble artistry on the move. Equipped with fans, foamers, wands, and foggers, they showcase bubble artistry through fog-filled bubbles, floating hand bubbles, intricate bubble sculptures, and playful foam.

Flúirse
2026-09-13 14:00 - 14:45 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Flúirse are an up-and-coming, dynamic young trad group from counties Laois, Tipperary, Waterford and Meath. Runners-up in the prestigious Siansa Gael Linn music competition in 2024, Flúirse comprises of Oisín Durcan (banjo, mandolin, guitar, vocals) Róise O’Reilly (fiddle and vocals) Laura Scott (harp, fiddle and vocals) Taidhg Dalton (bodhrán, vocals, flute and guitar) Sorcha Hennessy (flute, whistle, guitar) Darragh Egan (accordion, melodeon, guitar) Edel Conway (Concertina, vocals). With deep roots in traditional Irish music and song, members of the group have performed at many festivals, at home and abroad. Their creativity knows no bounds, something which is heightened as a result of their friendship and unity as a group.

Mischief, Mayhem & Milly McCarthy
2026-09-13 14:30 - 15:30 | Yellow Marquee / Cashel Cathedral, Agar Lane, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Leona Forde is a teacher from Bandon, County Cork, whose Milly McCarthy series (illustrated by Karen Harte) has become a favourite with young Irish readers. This bestselling series has received widespread praise, including from The Irish Examiner who called it a must for Wimpy Kid fans and from Aisling’s Sarah Breen who hailed Milly a delightful new heroine for kids. The 2026 World Book Day title, Milly McCarthy and the St Patrick’s Day Pandemonium, was a number 1 bestseller.
Leona joins us at Cashel Arts Festival for what promises to be a wonderful and inspiring talk for young readers and book lovers alike.

Karbunkulis Dancers
2026-09-13 15:00 - 15:20 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Karbunkulis is a vibrant Latvian folk dance group with nearly 20 years of experience. Known for their infectious energy, passion, and great sense of humor, they have brought the joy of Latvian dance to audiences around the world—from Latvia to Ireland, the USA, Canada, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom.
Based in Ireland, Karbunkulis delights local audiences each year by participating in various cultural festivals, showcasing the beauty and richness of Latvian dance traditions and the vibrant diversity of traditional costumes.

The Groove Republic
2026-09-13 15:30 - 16:30 | The Plaza, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
The Groove Republic are no strangers to the Irish Music Circuit! Regulars in the best of venues in Munster this Cashel based band are sure to excite with a style that includes Rock, Disco, Soul and much much more!

Rosie and Shú Shú
2026-09-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Brú Ború, Beside the Rock of Cashel, Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland
Please Note: Pre-booking essential as places are limited. Book online at www.bruboru.ie
We welcome back Cahal Flynn with his brand new theatre production, commissioned especially by Cashel Arts Festival.
Rosie and Shú Shú is a story of choices and how we sometimes feel we don’t have them.
A young woman’s inheritance holds her like an anchor to her rural Irish parish pub.
An old trickster tries to show her the importance of community and why we should never forget where we’re from.
Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of theatre, creativity, and entertainment.
Meet the Cast

Sinead White-Fox
Sinead is a Cashel based actor whose previous credits include performances in The Gaiety theater, film, TV and radio. She is excited to perform again on the stage of Cashel’s own Brú Ború Theatre and looks forward to bringing this wonderful play to life.

Cahal Flynn
Cahal is the writer and performer behind the play Pure Medicine which toured the country in 2023. He would tell you more about himself, but there’s a fair chance he’d be making it up.

Buy Tickets / €15
