Patrick Hyland's Summer Serenade in Naas next month

Irish tenor Patrick Hyland will bring his Summer Serenade Concert to The Moat Theatre, Naas, on Friday, 5 June 2026 at 8pm.

The concert will feature special guests Heather Sammon (mezzo-soprano), Lynda O’Connor (violin) and Rebecca Warren (piano), with a programme including opera classics, movie hits, musical favourites and Irish songs.

Tickets cost €30 plus a €1.50 booking fee and are on sale now through The Moat Theatre at 045 883030 or online here. 

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The Song Cycle coming to Kilcullen cinema

The next film at Kilcullen Bridge Cinema on Tuesday, May 12th, is a unique event of film, chat, and song, writes Teresa Nurse of Kilcullen Lions. The Song Cycle is a new film from Nick Kelly, acclaimed musician (The Fat Lady Sings) and filmmaker (The Drummer and the Keeper). 

It opened at the Irish Film Institute on May 1st to great reviews, and the film is now showing at selected cinemas across Ireland. Each event screening will involve Nick travelling sustainably to the location (primarily by bicycle) to attend the screening, and then performing live after the screening. The result will be a unique mini-touring programme incorporating cinema, music, and sustainability.

The Song Cycle is a charming documentary that tells Nick’s story of how, in 2022, he decided to cycle from his home in Dublin to the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England — carrying his guitar, tent, and all the other essentials. He was accompanied by his friend and ‘Dogs’ collaborator, Sean Millar, who was following the same route on public transport. The pair stopped to perform in different venues along the route, making their way towards a grand finale at Glastonbury. 

The journey proves a celebration of sustainability in its many forms, while also allowing the filmmaker to thoughtfully reflect on his relationship with his late father, the esteemed politician and academic, John Kelly. Inspired by environmental concerns, the film also explores music and friendship and is uplifting, humorous, and thought-provoking. 

Come for the film and stay for the chat and music. It promises to be a wonderful event. Tickets are now on sale in Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, and on Eventbrite.

Doors open at 7pm. Film 7.30pm followed by a concert at 9pm. 

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Riverbank documentary season

Riverbank Arts Centre has announced a documentary season for May and June 2026, featuring five screenings over six weeks, with guest appearances and post-screening discussions.

The season opens on Wednesday, 20 May, with How to Build a Library, followed by a panel discussion on themes raised in the film. Speakers include Kildare County Librarian Gillian Allen, Kenyan anthropologist and academic Dr Fernando Ongolly, and IADT post-doctoral film researcher Dr Judith Pernin, who will chair the event.

Further screenings include Myrid Carten’s directorial debut A Want in Her on 27 May; Charlie Shackleton’s Zodiac Killer Project on 3 June; Born That Way, an award-winning Irish documentary on disability inclusion pioneer Patrick Lydon, on 10 June; and The Song Cycle on 24 June. 

Director Éamon Little and Gladys Lydon will take part in a short Q&A following Born That Way, while The Song Cycle director Nick Kelly will attend that screening.

The documentary season is presented in association with Access Ireland and Europa Cinemas.

Tickets are €7 early bird, €9 on the door, and €5 for students. Bookings can be made through the Box Office, by telephone on 045 448327, or online at riverbank.ie, where a €1.50 booking fee applies per ticket.

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Record crowds tipped for Punchestown

The 2026 Punchestown Festival is set for record attendance, with advance sales indicating more than 130,000 visitors across the five-day event from Tuesday, 28 April to Saturday, 2 May.

This year’s festival is on track to exceed last year’s record turnout, driven by a strong weather forecast and a programme combining top-class racing with major social and entertainment attractions.

A record prize fund of €3.6 million is being offered across 40 races. Punchestown also expects the festival to generate more than €70 million for the economy and draw visitors from Ireland and overseas.

Chief executive Conor O’Neill said the festival has grown beyond sport into a flagship national entertainment event, with hospitality demand remaining exceptionally strong. Midweek hospitality is sold out despite increased capacity, while limited availability remains for Saturday.

The festival will also feature live music, style events, family entertainment, new hospitality options, and expanded food and beverage offerings.

Organisers are urging racegoers to book before the final ticket offer ends at midnight on Sunday, 26 April, and to use public transport where possible, particularly on Festival Friday.

Full details and tickets are available at www.punchestown.com.

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Opportunity for audience tickets for TG4 Curfá

Kildare fans of TG4’s flagship Irish-language choir competition, Curfá, have the chance to be part of the studio audience for the grand finale, writes Brian Byrne. The filming is scheduled for Saturday, 11 April, in the Kildare area.

The exact location will be confirmed for those selected. The event will last approximately four hours. Tickets are free but available in limited quantities. 

Register interest by emailing intern@tyrone-productions.ie. The closing date for applications is Friday, 10 April.

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Widows Paradise in Kilcullen

More tickets are now available in Woodbine Books for the Narraghmore Drama Group production of Widows' Paradise, playing in Kilcullen Town Hall next week, Friday and Saturday, 9 and 10 January. There's a preview performance on Thursday, the 8th.

Guaranteed to be a great night, tickets are €15 (or €5 for the preview). 

Written by Sam Cree, the play is directed by Maryclare McMahon. It is set in the 1960s, with five women travelling to stay in a caravan on the Ards Peninsula, some trying to escape their male partners and others hoping to find one.

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Free New Year's Eve Punchestown races to mark 175 years

Punchestown Racecourse will celebrate a remarkable 175 years of racing heritage with a very special New Year’s Eve race meeting, offering free admission for all, generously supported by Tote, on Wednesday, 31 December. The track recently landed the 2025 Racecourse of the Year Award.  

The Kildare Races at Punchestown were first recorded in 1824. The event moved to various venues across the county before officially establishing Punchestown as its permanent home in 1850. From those early beginnings, what has become the Punchestown Festival has grown into an internationally recognised five-day celebration of top-class horse racing, culture and community spirit.

To honour this rich legacy, Punchestown is inviting everyone to come together on New Year’s Eve to celebrate 175 years of memorable sporting, historic and community moments: the construction of the first grandstand, the role of the La Touche Family, endurance through the Civil and World Wars, the famous Match Race of 1986, many racing dynasties, and the dominance of Irish racing talent.   

The New Year’s Eve meeting promises a festive, family-friendly atmosphere, with complimentary mince pies and mulled wine on arrival, while stocks last, live music by the Ballymore Band, and free children’s entertainment.

Gates open from 11am with the first race going to post at approximately 12.30pm. The Hay Café, The Feedroom and a selection of mobile eateries will provide tasty snacks, barista coffee, and hot food with something for everyone, whilst the bars will be serving up festive cheer.

For those looking to enhance their day and arrange something a bit special this New Year’s Eve, the very popular Trackside Race & Dine package is available to book online for €95pp, with a children’s menu available.

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Songwriters in the Round for Moone's Croí Anú

If anyone missed Songwriters in the Round at the Red Hot Music Club last March, they have another chance to hear Megan O'Neill, Emma Langford and Grainne Hunt in their amazing show, writes Brian Byrne. The show will be presented at Croí Anú in Moone on 21 November.

Megan O’Neill, who has shared the stage with Sir Tom Jones, Lighthouse Family, and Glen Hansard, has had her songs featured in Netflix's Firefly Lane and ABC's Nashville. Grainne Hunt, with her rich and complex voice, is affectionately dubbed Ireland’s answer to Joni Mitchell. She has opened for Gladys Knight and performed twice on Ireland’s Late Late Show. Emma Langford, blending folk, traditional, and contemporary sounds, has established herself in both the Irish and international music scenes with songs like The Winding Way Down to Kells Bay and Birdsong. 

'In the round' is an intimate style that originated in Nashville and features three songwriters, each taking turns performing their original songs and sharing the stories behind them.

At Croí Anú, each will also be invited to include a song on the yellow stool, a signature element of Croí Anú gigs. The stool was from the kitchen of venue owner Mary Pat Moloney's mother.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite, The Piers Café in Moone and at Croí Anú.

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CPC Panto Club performing Snow White

Cast at rehearsal yesterday.

The CPC Panto Club is presenting the popular Snow White story in the college Assembly Hall on November 25th and 26th, writes Brian Byrne. 

There’s a cast of 80 in the TY year production, which has been rehearsing since September. “There was such an interest in it when we left a signup sheet during our September workshops, that it has become a major project in the school,” says the Panto Club organiser, Mary McLaughlin. “The excitement and enthusiasm are wonderful to see.”

In addition to the cast, 17 other students are working as backstage crew, and front-of-house activities on the performance nights will include even more.

Promoted as Snow White and AT LEAST Seven Dwarfs, tickets are selling fast. They are on sale at €12 in the school during lunchtime, at reception — cash only — or through Eventbrite. 

Pictures below were taken at yesterday's rehearsal in the Community Centre (some backgrounds have been generated).

Stage Manager Jake King Brunell.

Team Sparkle.

The dancers, not yet in costume.

Ruth Moloney as Snow White and James Bartholomew as Huntsman.

Dwarves (back) Rebecca Strong, Megan Reade, Ethan Byrne, Meryam Atasever, Keelin Barker; and (front) Holly Egan, Lily Lee Carroll, Nadia Pytel.

Dwarfettes Mia Simion, Runé Swart, and Karly Stone McCoy.

Sam Corcoran as Dandini with Calum Jordan as Prince Charming and Dylan Morgan as King Harold.

Back: Dylan Cagney as Gingerbread Man, Rory Laxton as Hansel, with (front) Holly Cahill as Gretel, Chloe McDonald as Goldilocks, and Ellie Connolly as Red Riding Hood.

Belle Carroll as Hook and Dylan Byrne as Smee.

Four Guards Ciabhán Linehan, Aidan Ryan, David Barry, and Oisín Jacob.

Kayla O'Neill as the Evil Queen, with Ryan Cady as Magic Mirror.

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Colourful South American show for kids at Riverbank

A new live music performance for children aged 4-7 years will take place at the Riverbank Arts Centre on Saturday, 8 November, writes Brian Byrne. Pututu centres on Peruvian Andean culture and the Amazon forest. 

The show is part of GlobeTots, an initiative by Kasia Eliasz that creates performances exploring different cultures through live music, creative movement, and storytelling. The performance features traditional instruments from the region — including the quena (flute), bombo (drum), chajchas (seed rattle), and quijada (donkey jaw) - and explores the sounds, rhythms, and stories connected to the forest and the highlands. 

Performed by musicians Rodrigo Almonte, Alicia Garcia, and Marcio Tarktarov, Pututu is funded by the Arts Council through a Project Award 2025 and supported by The Ark and Riverbank Arts Centre. 

Tickets are priced at €8 per person or €28 for a family of four and can be booked through the Box Office, either in person or by telephone on 045 448327, or 24/7 on www.riverbank.ie. 

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Sightless Cinema returns to Riverbank

An evening of audio stories will be held in the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge on Tuesday, 28 October, under the Sightless Cinema initiative. Dog’s Life offers audiences a highly entertaining night of thrillers, comedies, horrors and true stories in surround-sound audio.

The show is a feast for the imagination because all the pictures are in your head, with optional blindfolds provided to heighten audience members' experience! 

Stories include Open Fire, a comedy set during an electricity black-out after a storm; The Devil’s Sliotar, a fun folk-horror about a village desperate to lift a terrible curse; Look Who’s Barking about a litter of guide dog pups taking their final test course, and Dye Another Day where a woman going on a first date has a very bad hair day! 

The plays are presented as a mix of recorded and live audio dramas, performed on stage by 22 members of the Sightless Cinema Network from three counties. In its eleventh successful year, Sightless Cinema is a collaborative arts project for people with sight loss who devise, produce and present audio theatre. 

Director Ciarán Taylor has established a new group in Kildare this year, at Riverbank, creating new audio dramas together through weekly workshops for future productions. New members are very welcome to join. Contact Riverbank for details.

For a preview taste of the live experience, check out Are You Blind or What? — the IMRO award-winning radio documentary by Anne Marie Kelly. Or watch the RTE TV documentary, Sightless Cinema, with audio description and subtitles available.   

Since 2015, Sightless Cinema has presented nine original shows at theatres across Leinster, Lighthouse Cinema, and IMC Cinemas. Director Ciarán Taylor says, “Audiences really love being immersed in the sounds of the stories, and have great fun with the variety of pieces.”

Sightless Cinema Kildare is funded by Kildare County Arts Office, Creative Ireland and Rethink Ireland and supported by Riverbank Arts Centre and Vision Ireland. 

The show starts at 7pm. Tickets at €12/€10 are available from riverbank.ie or 045 448327.

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Culture Night was a feast of entertainment

Culture is a fancy word, but last night in Kilcullen it meant pure entertainment in Kilcullen Town Hall, courtesy of Kilcullen Drama Group and friends, writes Brian Byrne. There may not have been a full house, but the atmosphere for the group's Culture Night variety show was fantastic, and those present thoroughly enjoyed the event. 

There was singing from solo performers and choirs — the Camphill Choir must be mentioned here. There was poetry, drama excerpts, some brilliant ballroom and Irish dancing displays, and a lovely memoir of Kilcullen's main street in a previous generation. And full marks to the group for such a slickly-run event that the hour and fifty minutes of Kilcullen's best talent passed in what seemed like far too short a time.

The Diary took photos. Some are shown here, you can see ALL of them on this link. 

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