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Kinsale Arts Weekend 2026 – July 9th to 12th
As we mark our tenth year, we find ourselves reflecting on the journey that has shaped Kinsale Arts Weekend. This sense of passage and evolution has inspired this year’s theme: Immrama.
Immrama are ancient Irish voyage tales in which the sea becomes the story’s vessel, representing a living route carrying people, goods and fate itself. Emerging from early Medieval Ireland, these narratives follow travellers who set out across open water in search of new lands. Along the way, they encounter unfamiliar communities, share customs and stories, share food and knowledge and are transformed by these moments of exchange.
Ireland’s relationship with the sea has always been bound to both arrival and departure. The tide brings visitors, sailors, workers, migrants, refugees, families returning and families leaving. As a historic port town, Kinsale understands this rhythm intimately. People arrive like the currents, each carrying their own stories and enriching the shores they touch. The sea has long been our original network, acting as a channel of trade, culture, language and exchange. The artistic creativity which is inspired by this intersection of new encounters and tradition is what we choose to celebrate at our annual Kinsale Arts Weekend.
Given the importance of the sea for providing us with this bridge, we also consider it as a symbol of responsibility. As we navigate global migration and the realities of climate change, water reminds us of our shared vulnerability and interdependence. Sustainability is not separate from storytelling; it shapes the futures we are voyaging toward.
Immrama invites us to reflect on movement: across borders, across disciplines, across generations. It asks how art can create spaces of hospitality, dialogue, and renewal, honouring the journeys that have brought us here and imagining the ones still to come. As we embark on the next phase of our journey, we invite you to travel with us, bringing an open mind and heart to the experiences that lie ahead.
