Offaly prepares for Culture Night with vibrant programme of events

Offaly is preparing for Culture Night, Friday, September 18, with a vibrant programme of events.

The Faithful County will come to life for One Night for All, with free live music, dance, exhibitions, workshops, community and late-night events.

This year's programme features events across Birr, Tullamore, Banagher, Edenderry, Clara, Daingean, Mucklagh and Cloghan.

Four newly commissioned works developed with support from Offaly County Council Arts Office will be showcased, and a flagship Culture Night Late event supported through a dedicated Arts Council Night-Time Economy grant at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre.

Ancestral Echoes and Streetwise Steps: A Common Thread of Ancient Roots to Urban Groove will take place from 7.30pm to 7.55pm.

This dynamic 25 minute multicultural dance journey opens with the ancient roots of Indian Classical dance, before exploding into street-wise Hip Hop fusion, Tribal evolution, and a dramatic, shimmering finale of Isis Wings and soaring violin. Featuring Irish, Canadian, American, Spanish and Indian artists, this is culture in motion — alive, evolving and utterly electric – never meant to stand still, and always meant to fly.

Patrick Hough, Sheila Hough, and John Hough will host Howling in the Metaverse: Ode to the Irish Wolf from 7pm to 8pm at JJ Hough’s Singing Pub.

Through photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, and virtual reality, they will explore the extinct Irish Wolf as a symbol of wilderness, mythology, memory, and transformation. Blending traditional art forms with 360-degree VR on Meta Quest headsets, the project invites audiences into a reimagined wilderness where folklore and digital technology meet, reflecting on extinction, loss, and our enduring desire to reconnect with the wild.

An Evening of Irish Tradition will take place at Mucklagh Community Centre from 7pm to 9pm. The night will bring together community, creativity, and culture in a warm and welcoming atmosphere filled with ceol, craic, and Irish heritage.

Speak Out Drama Youth Ensemble will host a performance from 6.30pm to 7.45pm, presenting a night of song and poetry recitation, including dramatic monologues, comedic duologues and songs from the musical scene from a talented cast of 9 to 16 year olds.

For the full programme details and booking information visit www.culturenight.ie/offaly