Late Night Concerts 2026
Continuing on the success of last year’s extended programme, there will once again be three late night performances at this year’s festival. These events will cover a diverse range of genres and performance styles.
Friday 29th of May
10.00PM: ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, Killaloe
LATE NIGHT CANDLELIGHT CONCERT - Immersion: Standing at the Edge
A late-night surround-sound experience in the historic nave of the cathedral, blending poetry, projections, song and music.
Standing at the Edge is an immersive multi-media performance led by Artistic Director, Diane Daly, joined by acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and producer Alan Keary (Shunya), Scottish violin virtuoso Donald Grant, singers Kathleen Turner and Máire Keary, and members of the Festival Ensemble.
With repertoire ranging from traditional and folk through to 21st century electronica, at the heart of this unmissable event is a unique performance of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, played by a full string orchestra. This is music that suspends time and fills the space with breath-held intensity. Intimate yet expansive, contemplative yet charged with energy; surrender to a late-night experience designed to linger long after the final note fades.
Traditional Prayer
Donald Grant (violin)
Julia Wolfe (1958 - ): Music for Nine Bagpipes on Two Violins
Diane Daly, Alan Keary (violin)
Standing at the Edge
Kathleen Turner, Máire Keary (singers)
Samuel Barber (1910–1981): Adagio for Strings
Festival Ensemble
Shunya: Goodbye Spring
Shunya
Saturday 30th of May
10.00pm: ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, Killaloe
LATE NIGHT CONCERT - Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
International icon, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning musician, Rhiannon Giddens brings her unmistakable voice and vision to Killaloe for a rare and intimate late-night performance. Renowned for illuminating the overlooked histories of American music, she moves seamlessly between folk, blues, classical and traditional forms, uncovering stories of resilience, migration and cultural exchange.
Joined by her long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, she creates music that is both deeply rooted and strikingly contemporary. In the candlelit cathedral, this promises an evening of intensity, beauty and quiet power. A rare opportunity to experience one of the most important artists of our time at close quarters.
Sunday 31st of May
10.00Pm: ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, Killaloe
LATE NIGHT CONCERT - Focail agus Fuaim with Denise Chaila & Sibéal Ní Chasaide
Two of Ireland’s most compelling and distinctive young voices meet for the first time in a late-night encounter of word and song. Sean-nós singer Sibéal Ní Chasaide, with her luminous, tradition-rooted voice, joins forces with poet, rapper and singer Denise Chaila, whose work pulses with rhythm, urgency and fearless contemporary expression.
Backed by members of the Festival Ensemble, this is a meeting of worlds; intimate and electric. Focail agus Fuaim, in the candlelit nave, explores the power of language in all its forms. Tradition converses with improvisation; melody intertwines with rhythm; stillness gives way to fire.
This concert is supported by EI Electronics.