The Guide: The events to see, the shows to book, and the ones to catch before they end

Event of the Week

First Aid Kit

Monday, August 21st, Collins Barracks, Dublin, 6pm; €53.65 (sold out); ticketmaster.ie

The Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg started their lives in music as teenagers listening to the likes of the soundtrack to the Coen brothers’ 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Carter Family, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and Bright Eyes. Since then the siblings have gone on to release five acclaimed albums, the latest of which is last year’s Palomino, whose songs straddle classic rock-pop as much as Americana-folk. Special guests are singer-songwriters Nick Mulvey and Billie Marten. (This show kick-starts a series of concerts at Collins Barracks; singularartists.ie has full details.)

Gigs

The Walkmen

Wednesday, August 23rd, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm; €36.50; ticketmaster.ie

For a decade and more (2000-2013) the US indie rock band The Walkmen were one of the signature music acts of New York’s post-punk revival, up there with The Strokes, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol and others. The difference, however, is that the band – fronted by Hamilton Leithauser – had little or no wish to be lumped in with any particular music scene, as shown by their eclectic back catalogue. They have now regrouped after a decade-long hiatus. The fans will surely be out in droves for this rare Irish show.

Masters of Tradition

Wednesday-Sunday, August 23rd-27th, Bantry, Co Cork; various venues, times and prices; westcorkmusic.ie

Happy 21st birthday to Masters of Tradition, which is overseen and curated by its artistic director, the renowned fiddle player Martin Hayes. The festival’s opening concert, on Wednesday, August 23rd (8pm, Maritime Hotel), features Hayes, the guitarist and fiddle player Sam Amidon, guitarist Conal O’Kane, concertina player Brian Donnellan and cellist Kate Ellis. Another special concert to bookmark takes place on Saturday, August 26th (10.30pm, Bantry House), when the Irish jazz singer Christine Tobin is joined by an ensemble of jazz and traditional musicians to perform songs from her latest album, Returning Weather.

Future Islands

Thursday, August 24th, Collins Barracks, Dublin, 6pm; €62.45; ticketmaster.ie

Almost 20 years in, the Baltimore, Maryland, band Future Islands have virtually cornered the market in the kind of live performances that are a rarity these days. The most important element of the shows, according to Samuel T Herring, the band’s master of controlled-chaos ceremonies, is about creating an energetic, physical experience for the audience. “We either want them to move or be moved by the music.” Having seen Future Islands before, we can attest to how successfully they achieve this. Make sure to arrive nice and early for the special guests, which just happen to be two of Ireland’s best music acts, Just Mustard and Sprints.

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Podcasts

Cork Podcast Festival

Tuesday-Sunday, August 22nd-27th, Cork city, various venues, times and prices; corkpodcastfestival.ie

A festival, you say? Attune your ears for a batch of Ireland’s podcasts (and podcasters) covering six days and many topics. Most bases are included, from conversations (With Cornelius, Friday, August 25th; Catch Up with Louise McSharry, Saturday; Blindboy, Saturday) and history (The Murder of Michael Collins, Sunday) to comedy (I’m Grand Mam, Wednesday) and real life (Left on Read, Friday). For full details on times, venues, and ticket prices (some shows have free admission) from the festival website.

Comedy

Shane Gillis

Thursday-Friday, August 24th-25th, Vicar Street, Dublin, 6.30pm; €40; ticketmaster.ie

If “insult comedy” and “sarcasm” can be defined as genres within comedy then we are all, surely, guilty of delivering put-downs of varying strength. American comedian and actor Shane Gillis goes a few steps further, with a line in observational, self-deprecating comedy that rarely avoids those gasp moments we, perhaps, secretly want comedians to provide. There is a late-night show at Vicar Street on Friday, August 25th, with doors at 10.30pm. Be prepared.

Visual art

Art & Soul: International Art and Sculpture

August 19th-September 10th, Culloden Estate, Belfast; 11am-7pm; adm free, with guided tours daily at 12pm and 4pm; gormleys.ie, cullodenestateandspa.com

Art and Soul. Photograph: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye

This could be the final art show of the summer, especially when you consider that it’s an open-air event. The event, curated and hosted by contemporary gallery Gormleys in the grounds of Culloden Estate & Spa, Belfast, showcases more than 250 works by artists such as Banksy, Damien Hirst, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol, and Irish artists Maser, Stephen Forbes and Peter Monaghan. The grounds feature an impressive outdoor sculpture exhibition, with eye-catching life-size work and installations by the likes of Orla de Bri, Bob Quinn, Giancinto Bosco, Ian Pollock and Sandra Bell.

Classical

Clandeboye Festival 2023

Saturday-Saturday, August 19th-26th, Banqueting Hall/The Chapel, Clandeboye Estate, Co Down; various venues, times and prices; camerata-ireland.com

Music without borders is the theme for this year’s Clandeboye Festival, whose founder and artistic director, Barry Douglas, will be joined by a mix of acclaimed guest soloists as well as alumni of the Camerata Ireland Academy (including flautist Eimear McGeown, pianist Cathal Breslin and Camerata Ireland young musician of the year for 2010 Patrick Rafter, now one of Ireland’s most distinguished violinists). Music by Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart will be performed, as will Krzysztof Penderecki, who this year would have celebrated his 90th birthday.

Still running

Fun Home

Until Friday, September 1st, Gate Theatre, Dublin; 7.30pm; €46.50/€41.50/€36.50/€31.50; gatetheatre.ie

This adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir, surely the theatrical hit of the summer, details the author’s sexual awakening as well as coming to terms with her closeted gay father and has bowled over critics and audiences alike. Book/lyrics by Lisa Kron; music by Jeanine Tesori. Róisín McBrinn directs. Don’t miss it.

Book it this week

Bonny Light Horseman and the RTÉ Orchestra, NCH, Dublin; September 14th; nch.ie

Ireland Music Week, October 3rd-6th, multiple venues, Dublin; eventbrite.ie

Declan O’Rourke, October 6th-November 25th (nationwide tour); singularartists.ie

The 2 Johnnies Christmas Party Podcast, 3Arena, Dublin; December 16th; ticketmaster.ie