Keep Her Lit Bealtaine Gathering
The Bealtaine Gathering welcomes in the Samhradh (summer) season during this one-day festival on Sunday May 3rd in Graiguenamanagh, Co.Kilkenny. A seasonal celebration that rekindles the ancient Celtic festival of Bealtaine through a bilingual river walk, song sharing and singing workshop, traditional music & singing session, and folk concert with artist Susan O’Neill.
The day kicks off at 11am with the Glór Bearú (Voice of the Barrow), a bilingual walk along the River Barrow exploring ecology and language. The Song Exchange, a singing workshop / circle facilitated by Molly Garvey at the Barrow Activity Hub takes place from 1-3pm, followed by a Trad and Singing Open Session at Mick Doyle’s pub. The Bealtaine Headline Concert with Susan O’Neill takes place at Abbey Lane from 7.30pm. Book your tickets at https://linktr.ee/keepherlit
Bealtaine Gathering – Wild Coastal Food & Folklore
An immersive walk at Rossbeigh Strand, Glenbeigh in Co. Kerry, to celebrate Bealtaine while working with seaweed, coastal plants and stories. This gathering invites a reconnection with the land, the sea and the seasonal signs of renewal all around us.
eExplore the wild plants and seaweeds that thrive along the Kerry coastal area, share practical ways to work with them in everyday life, before making oxymels and seaweed salt while sharing stories, poetry and song connected to the celebration of Bealtaine.
Book your free tickets here.
Free writing workshops and activities across Cork County Libraries as part of the Bealtaine Festival
Workshops are available throughout May in all Cork County libraries. These range from crafting, creative writing, crime writing and poetry to foraging, puppetry, photography and music, with Bealtaine a perfect time to learn a new skill. All workshops are free, all materials are supplied and no experience is required.
Cork County Council’s Bealtaine programme features writing workshops including Let’s Talk Crime in Mitchelstown and Charleville libraries with award winning crime novelist Casey King (Marie O’Halloran), who will offer guidance on writing a novel, developing ideas and submitting work to agents and editors. Stories Among Friends in Mallow and Fermoy Libraries support participants in discovering their writing voice, whether preserving memories, beginning a short story or writing poetry.
A Life Writing workshop with award-winning author and poet David McLoughlin takes place in Carrigaline Library, exploring memory, storytelling and personal history. In Newmarket Library, Laura O’Mahony will explore storytelling techniques, character development and bringing ideas to life on the page.
Wet felting workshops with visual artist Catherine Callanan in Midleton and Youghal Libraries will guide participants through creating a unique felted landscape piece, while a Drawing Workshop with Fiona Boniwell in Kanturk Library introduces practical warm-up techniques for drawing and relaxed contour drawing. Music workshops will also take place across libraries with Kevin McNally and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
The Bealtaine Talks Programme focuses on creativity and aging, featuring writers and media personalities. Meet Ray Cuddihy with an inspiring guest in Mallow Library, authors Madeline D’Arcy and Kate Barry in Macroom Library, writers and podcasters Cónal Creedon and Mairéad Herne O’Driscoll from Two for the Road in Creedon’s Hotel, Inchigeela. More speakers will be announced. Find the full schedule here.
Embracing Bealtaine can be simple. Step outside. Notice what’s changing. Try something new without worrying about the outcome. Creativity thrives not in perfection, but in curiosity and openness. This is a time to begin again. Find free creative events in your local community here.
