Thursday 28 May
Opening Night of Mountshannon Arts Festival 2026. Welcome!
Saul Forged
Forge 9.30 - 5pm
Artisan blacksmith working in the beautiful Lyons forge in Mountshannon, a 270-year-old forge still owned by the same family to this day, Reece has been focusing on traditional blacksmithing, by hand and without electricity, for three years, with a keen interest in biological sculpture, jewellery and traditional workman's tool making.
Birchwood Sauna
Harbour 6pm - 8pm
Whether you're starting your day with a peaceful moment or winding down after a day of festival fun, the Birchwood Sauna promises a rejuvenating experience for body and mind. €20/ €15 WB
Céilí House
Hall 6pm
Gather the neighbours for an evening of dancing, music and poetry. The Wild Goat Trio is an East Clare-based trio bringing lively traditional Irish and bretonne dance music to many community events in Ireland and abroad. For the 30th Mountshannon Arts Festival they are teaming with local dance teacher Fionnuala Collins to offer an Interactive and fun packed Irish Céilí workshop. On Poetry Day Ireland, this social event will be interspersed with poetry from writer and visual artist Ailbhe Wheatley and local poets. Absolute beginners most welcome! €10/ €8 WB
Opening Night
Church of Ireland
8pm (duration 2h)
The evening will start with ‘a cappella’ group of upper voices Satakieli.
Storytelling in his blood and music in his bones, Aindrias de Staic will then bring his electrifying show By The Light of the Silvery Moon to open the 30th edition of Mountshannon Arts Festival. Free with WB
Storytelling in his blood and music in his bones, Aindrias de Staic brings his electrifying show By The Light of the Silvery Moon to open the 30th edition of Mountshannon Arts Festival.
This is a rollercoaster of a performance — irreverent, bawdy, fast-paced and wildly entertaining. With his unique storytelling style, Aindrias blends myth, memory and mischief while performing alongside two outstanding musicians, percussionist Brian Fleming and harpist Aisling Lyons.
Together they create a live sonic landscape that transforms each tale into a rich fusion of story and sound.
Inspired by folklore, nature and the traditional arts, Aindrias brings audiences on a journey through winding boreens and strange encounters — from humorous recitations and wandering musicians to abridged folkloric myths and outrageous otherworldly adventures. Expect magic, mischief and moments of real wonder — strictly for grown-ups.
Having travelled the world as a troubadour, Aindrias now lives back on the family farm in North Clare. During Covid he spent months in a caravan without electricity, in what he calls his “Analogue Corner”, reading and listening by candlelight to recordings collected by his late father, Eddie Stack — a writer, musician and folklorist. From these tapes of mythic lore emerged the vivid characters and stories that now shape this remarkable show.
By The Light of the Silvery Moon celebrates Ireland’s living storytelling tradition — where ancient voices meet modern ears in a night of wit, music and imagination. Aindrias has become a beloved figure across Ireland and a leading force in the revival of contemporary Irish storytelling, drawing inspiration from the bardic traditions of Raifteirí an File and Brian Merriman while forging a vibrant seanchaí style of his own.
‘He’s a waterboy seanachai, the Pied Piper of mischief, if he didn’t exist, we’d have to invent him, our culture needs spirits like this, a wayward Irish fiddle playing dream talker’. Tommy Tiernan
‘A pioneer in the revival of traditional storytelling, Aindrias has become one of the key figures in the mining, exploration and presentation of Irish Stories and Mythology. He breathes new life into the old tales – infusing them with musicality, rhythm and his unique insights on life’. Manchan Mangan
Aindrias de StaicSatakieli – literally ‘a hundred tongues’is the Finnish word for ‘nightingale’. On moving to Ireland from the UK in 2019, it was Richard Pomfret’s ambition to create a small a cappella group of upper voices to sing the beautiful folk-based and contemporary music which has its roots in the folklore and sagas of Finland (a ‘sister’ choir to ‘Enkelit’ (‘Angels’) which he formed in the north of England in 2003). After a Covid delay, Satakieli was born in 2022 and comprises around a dozen singers from Clare who rehearse once a month on a Sunday afternoon in Kilkishen.
Satakieli
