Music, magic and mischief will feature at a special Tipperary arts festival

There is a wealth of choice at this year’s Clonmel Junction Arts Festival for music lovers with folk, classical, opera and new works as well as introductions to music with a sensory-friendly concert for families, a coffee concert and ‘choir encounters’ – a lunch-time interactive singing session.

Irish singer-songwriter Oisín Leech headlines on Friday 11th July in Old St Mary’s Church. Playing at Glastonbury just before he comes to Clonmel, Oisín is “really looking forward to gigging Clonmel Junction Arts Festival and to bringing the Cold Sea songs to Clonmel for the very first time.”

Releasing his debut solo album ‘Cold Sea’ to worldwide acclaim in 2024, it was awarded BBC Radio 6 Music Album Of The Year (as chosen by Cerys Matthews) while MOJO, UNCUT, and The Irish Times chose it as one of their Albums Of The Year.
Recorded on the Atlantic coast of Donegal by Brooklyn musician Steve Gunn the album features many luminaries including Dónal Lunny, Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan’s bassist since 1989), M Ward and Roisin McGrory.

Since its release last year Oisín has performed at The Royal Albert Hall and has shared the stage with many including Tindersticks, Richard Hawley, Vashti Bunyan, M Ward, Lisa O’Neill, and Gaz Coombes of Supergrass. In the summer of 2025 Oisín has been invited to perform at Glastonbury, Green Man and other selected festivals soon to be announced.

Although Oisín has performed with The Lost Brothers this will be his first solo appearance at Clonmel Junction Arts Festival.
Another musical highlight of the festival is Lemoncello’s concert again in Old St Mary’s Church on Saturday 12th July. Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella’s collaboration charms audiences into a world of intimate observations and uncomfortable questions with irresistible chemistry, charisma, and humour.

The rare alchemy of the duo’s voices together cuts through a minimal and dramatic soundscape; coloured by the warmth and grit of Kinsella’s cello and distinctly underpinned by Quirke’s cyclical, trance-like guitar playing.
New works debuting at this year’s festival include a new composition from the highly talented Eamon O’Malley. “‘24:09’ is a musical tone poem inspired by one of the greatest feats in Irish sporting history – Sean Kelly’s legendary time trial in the inaugural Nissan Classic Cycling Race 40 years ago this year,” says Eamon. “Scored for piano and electronics, the piece also draws on the sound worlds of 1980s electronic pioneers and it will be accompanied by a specially commissioned video by John O’Dwyer, creating a powerful audiovisual homage to a moment of exceptional talent and national pride.”
Not to be missed, you can catch Eamon’s concert ‘24:09’ on Saturday, 5th July at 7pm, and also on Sunday, 13th July at 1pm in STAC Chapel.

For opera lovers, there is a chance to catch the rising stars of the future at ‘Music, Magic and Mischief: A Guide to Falling in Love in Opera’ with Irish National Opera coming to STAC Chapel on Sunday 6th July at 4pm. Later that evening STAC Chapel will also welcome the Banshee Brass Quintet as they explore the timeless tale of Romeo and Juliet. Guided by Megan Churcher, they will journey from Tchaikovsky’s dramatic overture to Prokofiev’s intense ballet, and finally to Bernstein’s vibrant West Side Story.

Ten days of magic ends on Sunday 13th with ConTempo’s concert which includes a world premiere of Marian Ingoldsby’s String Quartet No 2 written in memory of artist Eimear King, whose work will be projected during the performance.

TICKET INFORMATION
www.junctionfestival.com for full details and tickets or visit our Box Office at the Showgrounds Shopping Centre 11am to 4pm from Monday to Saturday.

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