RTÉ is Supporting 39 Arts and Cultural Events across Ireland this October
This October, RTÉ is delighted to support Wexford Festival Opera, Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Open House Dublin and 36 other arts and cultural events across the country.
Wexford Festival Opera will run from 17th October – 1st November and will explore the theme of myths and legends. It promises 16 days of captivating performances, rare operas and new discoveries. In Galway, Baboró International Arts Festival for Children dedicated to children and their families will take place over ten days, while Open House Dublin, the free festival of architecture will host guided tours and events across the city and county this month.
There will also be plenty more festivals to enjoy such as Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford, Kildare Readers Festival, and the Red Line Book Festival and Bram Stoker Festival, both in Dublin. The Galway Cartoon Festival will also take place, as well as the IndieCork Festival and the ISLA Literary Festival. In addition, the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival will host events throughout the country.
Theatre lovers will not be disappointed this month either, as the best of Irish and international theatre will be brought to audiences at the Dublin Theatre Festival. In Limerick’s historic Theatre Royal., CONNIE will be staged, an immersive theatrical event that reimagines the incredible life of Limerick-born Hollywood actress Constance Smith. Plays, Boyfriends and The Land of a Hundred Little Hills will also take place in several venues.
In Dublin, Poor, at the Gate Theatre will chart Katriona O’Sullivan’s extraordinary journey as she emerges from her childhood marked by poverty, addiction and homelessness to inspire a generation through her writing, teaching and speaking. In the Abbey Theatre, the Ireland New York Project will mark the 100th anniversary of The New Yorker with an evening exploring and celebrating the story of the magazine’s relationship with generations of leading Irish authors.
There are several film festivals taking place this month including Kerry International Film Festival, Clones Film Festival, Disappear Here Film Festival in Donegal and Short Shorts with screenings in Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork.
Also not to be missed this month, Harp Ireland will celebrate their annual Lá na Cruite | Harp Day on Saturday 18th October, Chamber Choir Ireland will perform Echoes of the Divine in Dublin and Belfast and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann will present Cairdeas featuring some of Ireland’s best traditional musicians, singers and dancers in different venues. The National String Quartet Foundation Autumn concert season will take place and Fingal Chamber Music will bring audiences its International Perspectives Chamber Music Series. Music for Wexford Autumn Series will also continue its recitals by both Irish and international musicians.
Finally, there are also several exhibitions to enjoy including Picasso: From the Studio in the National Gallery, Scribendi: Irish Writers 1985-2025 in Photo Museum Ireland, the reopening of the Shackleton Experience in Athy, and Headway, brain injury services and support, will host Connections, a unique art exhibition in the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre featuring over 100 artist’s each with an acquired brain injury.
For more information about the events we are supporting this month, see below:
WEXFORD Wexford Festival Opera www.wexfordopera.com
WEXFORD Music for Wexford Summer/Autumn Series www.musicforwexford.ie
WATERFORD Imagine Arts Festival www.imagineartsfestival.com
DUBLIN Picasso: From the Studio www.nationalgallery.ie/art-and-artists/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/picasso-studio
DUBLIN Dublin Theatre Festival www.dublintheatrefestival.ie
NATIONWIDE Boyfriends (national tour) www.lemonsoap.ie
GALWAY Baboró International Arts Festival for Children www.baboro.ie
LIMERICK CONNIE www.limetreetheatre.ie
DUBLIN Bram Stoker Festival www.bramstokerfestival.com
NATIONWIDE The Land of a Hundred Little Hills www.ceolconnected.ie/productions/the-land-of-a-hundred-little-hills
NATIONWIDE Short Shorts www.facebook.com/EUNICireland
KILDARE Kildare Readers Festival www.kildarereadersfestival.ie
CORK IndieCork Festival www.indiecork.com
KERRY Kerry International Film Festival www.kerryfilmfestival.com
DUBLIN Poor www.gatetheatre.ie/production/poor-2025
DUBLIN Open House Dublin www.openhousedublin.com
DUBLIN Scribendi: Irish Writers 1985-2025 www.photomuseumireland.ie/exhibition/steve-pyke-scribendi-irish-writers-1982-2025
NATIONWIDE Cairdeas www.comhaltas.ie/event/concert-cairdeas-celebrating-connections
MONAGHAN Clones Film Festival www.clonesfilmfestival.com
DUBLIN A Century of The New Yorker’s Irish Writers www.abbeytheatre.ie/whats-on/the-new-yorker-irish-writers/
DUBLIN Fingal Chamber Music: International Perpectives Chamber Music Series www.fingalchambermusic.ie
NATIONWIDE Autumn Concert Season www.nsqf.ie
DUBLIN ISLA Festival www.dublin.cervantes.es/en/culture_spanish/isla_festival/isla_festival.htm
GALWAY Galway Cartoon Festival www.galwaycartoonfestival.ie
DUBLIN Red Line Book Festival www.redlinefestival.ie
KILDARE Shackleton Experience Athy Reopening www.shackletonmuseum.com
DONEGAL Disappear Here Film Festival www.disappearherefilmfest.com
NATIONWIDE Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival www.smashingtimes.ie/irish-arts-and-human-rights-festival
DUBLIN Connections www.headway.ie
DUBLIN/BELFAST Echoes of the Divine www.chamberchoirireland.com/events/echoes-of-the-divine
INTERNATIONAL Lá na Cruite | Harp Day www.harpireland.ie
DUBLIN IMMA Collection: Art as Agency www.imma.ie
LIMERICK 41st EVA International www.eva.ie
LIMERICK From ‘Dickie to Richard’ – Richard Harris: Role of a Lifetime www.huntmuseum.com
DUBLIN Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe (Kildare Street) www.museum.ie
DUBLIN Changing Ireland (Collins Barracks) www.museum.ie
DUBLIN Dead Zoo at Large (Collins Barracks) www.museum.ie