Bealtaine is Ireland’s national festival which celebrates the arts and creativity as we age. The festival is run by Age & Opportunity, the leading national development organisation working to enable the best possible quality of life for us all as we age. This year Age & Opportunity unveils an all-new festival theme, ‘Lust for Life’, which reflects a familiar experience for many older people. To celebrate the theme Bealtaine Festival has commissioned a new essay, ‘Lust of Life’, by writer, former Labour TD and Bealtaine Festival ambassador, Liz McManus, which explores the n

This concert celebrates a great Dublin-born composer – Charles Villiers Stanford and includes short pieces from acclaimed contemporary composers, Judith Ring and Jake Runestad. For this special performance of the Mass in G, The Guinness Choir and its professional Orchestra will be joined by our wonderful soloists Caroline Behan, Soprano; Sarah Luttrell, Alto; William Pearson, Tenor; and Matthew Mannion, Bass. As well as performing as part of the orchestra, The Weaver and Cello Songs will feature the brilliant cellist Rosalie Curlett and the exciting Scottish pianist Connor Wilcox. 2024

How do we create a deeper public discussion around music? How do we support music in our villages, towns and cities? What can folk music tell us about our society? And what can Ireland teach the world about music? For over two decades, Toner Quinn has been writing about these questions and more in the multi-faceted world of Irish music. In this book, he gathers a selection of his essays and articles. From Martin Hayes to Jennifer Walshe, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin to Sinéad O’Connor, and from the impact of the economic crash to the fallout from the pandemic, this collection provides a