The 2026 Bealtaine Festival, Ireland’s national celebration of creativity in older age (run by Age & Opportunity), takes place throughout May with events nationwide. It features a diverse mix of arts, film, performance, and community engagement, promoting the artistic contributions of older people. Proudly funded by the Arts Council and the HSE, with the support of communities nationwide and a vast network of accomplished local and national bodies.

The iconic annual Jaipur Literature Festival, held each year in the fabled Pink City of Jaipur, is the grand dame of international literary festivals. JLF International carries the Festival’s arc, sparkle and spirit across continents: an inspiring literary series spanning America, Britain, and continental Europe. JLF came to Belfast in 2019, an encounter of rich literary traditions from Northern Ireland and across the world, supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. This year, from 22-31 May, JLF returns to Ireland for one of its most ambitious projects yet: JLF Island of Ireland

Adapted and directed by Liam Hourican​ With live period music from two acclaimed musicians! Leopold Bloom finds himself in the proverbial lion’s den of Barney Kiernan’s, subjected to the simmering antisemitism of the blinkered Citizen and a jeering entourage. A toxic mix of heavy drinking, Dublin pub banter and political discourse culminates in an explosion of xenophobic violence and an assault with a biscuit tin. In CYCLOPS, Volta draws on its roots in cabaret and sketch comedy to conjure Joyce at his comedic best. After three sold-out runs of its critically-acclaimed Counte