Cavan Arts festival adds to line-up

Cavan Arts Festival continues to add to their burgeoning May line-up, delivering yet more acts who promises to electrify and inspire in equal measures.

Having previously announced the impending arrival of comedian Aoife Dunne (Friday, May 15), who is set to bring along her acclaimed debut show Good Grief to Cavan Townhall Arts Centre (tickets €25), organisers have just announced a not-to-be missed double bill for Saturday, May 15 featuring DUG and Zoé Basha.

Two acts guaranteed to lift the roof and wear down even the most dedicated dancing boots, DUG, formed in 2023 by Conor O’Reilly and Jonny Pickett, have quickly become a force in contemporary Irish folk.

Known for their live charisma and razor-sharp lyrical wit, DUG’s debut album ‘Have At It!’ showcases a magnetic chemistry, and joining them in making their Cavan debut is the fearless Zoé Basha, a French-American troubadour whose life on the road has shaped a unique musical voice.

The festival reaches its theatrical climax on Sunday, May 17, with a performance of ‘The Devil’s in the Dance Hall’, a powerful and joyous live performance that resurrects Ireland’s early 20th-century rural dance halls.

Inspired by the story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of such community spaces, the show, created by Leitrim’s Edwina Guckian and featuring Séamus O’Rourke from Carrigallen alongside The Gralton Big Band, brings music, spoken word, and imersive movement together.

Audience members are invited to dance, laugh, and celebrate the collective joy that once filled parish halls, while reflecting on a time when church and state sought to control even the most basic forms of social freedom.

This year’s festival promises to be an unforgettable celebration of music, theatre, and contemporary Irish culture. For more information on events and tickets, visit www.cavanartsfestival.ie, or follow the festival on social media.