Fáilte! Welcome to the 20th Cashel Arts Festival!
The past few years have shown us the power of story. Stories used well are empathy machines, the best way to understand another human life. But we know too that a different type of story can be used by the powerful to incite fear and violence.
The best way to combat those stories, the ones that flatten and reduce our humanity, isn’t to turn our back on story — we can’t, humans are story-making machines! Instead, we must endeavour to tell more stories, different stories, deeper, more expansive stories.
Luckily, we have some world-class storytellers at this year’s festival.
Our Bolton Lecturer is Lara Marlowe, whose body of work shows in a powerful way how empathy can be driven by story. Lemn Sissay is one of Britain’s most celebrated poets and authors and another powerful storyteller.
In a play commissioned for the festival, we are excited to have Cashel native Eoin Gleeson perform Me, Twice.
Our visual arts are all a deep dive into story, from Joe Lee’s film season to Kate O’Shea and Deirdre O’Mahony’s work, which combines story, songs, printmaking and clay to look at ideas around land and agriculture in Tipperary along with the Artisans writing project in collaboration with Clonmel’s Applefest.
Music this year includes Kris Drever in St John the Baptist Cathedral, continuing our tradition of bringing beautiful music to this stunning location. We also have Immram at the Rock, turning Irish myths first into poetry and setting them to music.
Close Act, who brought us Saurus in 2018 is back with White Wings. The Friday night parade has been a highlight for many years and we are so happy to be back, experiencing this as a community.
And this is only a portion of what’s on offer this year. There are workshops, monks and nuns, dance, choirs performing, drumming and much much more.
But stories only work when there are people there to hear them and we look forward to welcoming you for this, our twentieth anniversary! The festival is now part of the fabric and life of the town — a part of its story. Hopefully, together, we will create new, exciting stories along the way.
Claire Fox, Chairperson
Buíochas le/Thank you and Acknowledgements
Melanie Scott (Tipperary Arts Officer) and all at Tipperary Arts Office, Tipperary County Council, Cllr. Roger Kennedy (Cathaoirleach), Anthony Coleman, Cashel and Tipperary Municipal Authority, Cllr. Michael Fitzgerald, Cllr. John Crosse, Cllr. Declan Burgess, Karl Wallace, Regina O’Shea, Adrian Colwell and all at The Arts Council, Cashel Heritage and Development Trust, Olivia Quinlan and the staff of Cashel Heritage Centre, Maura Barrett and staff of Tipperary Library Service, Cashel Library and staff, John O’Donoghue and Cashel Handball Club, Paddy Downey and the committee of Halla na Féile, Dean James Mulhall and Select Vestry of St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Elaine Moriarty, OPW and staff at The Rock of Cashel, Ronan O’Brien, Brú Ború and staff, Martin Lynch and Cashel Chamber of Commerce, Joe Barry and team, Dermot O’Halloran, Eoin Kelleher, Séan Murphy and Coolmoyne Couriers, Geraldine Laffey, Will Ryan and St. John the Baptist Boys School, Mary Andrews and St John the Baptist Girls School, Elma Cooke and the Deanery School, Margaret Gleeson and Ballinure N.S, Teresa Moloney and Rossmore N.S, Mary O’Donnell and St. Isidore’s N.S, Siobhán McGrath and Little Flower N.S, Joanne Healy Ryan and Thomastown N.S, Andrew Fox, Ailbe Dunne, Maria Neavyn and the staff and students of Cashel Community School, An Garda Síochána, Deirdre O’Leary and Patrick Purtill, Rebecca Lenehan, Theresia Guschlbauer, Clonmel Applefest and all involved in The Cashel Artisan Project, St Patrick’s Brass Band, Dr O’Hurley Pipe Band, The Burgess School of Irish Dance, Tipperary Youth Dance Company, Helen Colbert and the Sunday Morning Singers, Cashel Day-Care Centre, Cashel Crafts group, Cashel Tidy Towns committee, Brothers of Charity Group, Clerihan, Tipperary 8th Scout Group, Shauna Gleeson and Youth Work Ireland Tipperary, Order of Malta, Cécile Mulcahy, Shaun Leahy, all artists, festival team, volunteers, sponsors and community members who were part of the Cashel Arts Festival 2022.